The World's Greatest Codebreaker
by IceWarrior13
Summary: Eleanor Martin was a young codebreaker determined to leave her mark on the world, to be the next Ceasar or Turing. She knew that cracking a serial killer's code would be enough for her to go down in history, but her story was evidently not over. Given an ominous task by a being called Megatron, Miss Martin and her new partner Orion Pax work to uncover the truth of Project Iacon.
1. Prologue - Eleanor Marie Martin

A man with black black hair and blue eyes dressed in professional clothes and a woman with brown hair and green eyes dressed in a waitress' uniform sat on one side of a desk. Another woman, older and dressed in professional clothes, sat on the proper side of the desk. All of them were frowning, seeming uncomfortable.

"... Mr. Martin, Mrs. Martin - do you know why I've called you here, today?" The older woman asked formally. The man sighed, shaking his head.

"Mrs. Kitner, I'm sorry-"

"What for?" The older woman raised an eyebrow. "Why do you believe you have been called here?"

"Well..." Mrs. Martin folded her hands, anxious. "Our daughter told us that there was a disturbance, yesterday."

"That's one way of putting it." Mrs. Kitner agreed, and the couple sighed. "... What do you know about your daughter's intelligence?"

"We... We don't." Mr. Martin replied, a little embarrassed. "Eleanor is an independent spirit. She tends to keep to herself, reading old books she probably doesn't understand."

"Books?" Mrs. Kitner inquired, intrigued. "What are they about?"

"Uh... Just random things." Mrs. Martin began, tense. "Like... Julius Ceasar, the Voynich Manuscript, ancient Egypt, ciphers, the Fastis Killer, Crete, Sherlock Holmes, the World Wars, other languages, other things - there's no connection between them. I personally think she just believes that her holding the larger books makes her look smarter."

"... There is a connection." Mrs. Kitner announced, and the Martins blinked. "Codes." Mr. Martin raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Martin, for the past two months, Eleanor has been turning all of her assignments in... Written in code." Mrs. Kitner slid a paper over to the couple, and they began to look it over. "She's always included a key. It takes time for me to read them, but she's absolutely right in all of her answers... Yesterday's disturbance came about because she read a very large passage from the book while the book was upside down and she was using a mirror to reverse the page, and she did it perfectly. Her neighbor, Miss Lewis, found this to be disturbing and caused the ruckus." Mrs. Kitner gave a small smirk. "Your daughter has quite the right hook. Her uncle should be proud."

"Mrs. Kitner, what you're saying is absurd!" Mrs. Martin protested, sitting up straighter. "She's seven!" Mrs. Kitner nodded, frowning at the Martins.

"Yes, she is... And she's brilliant." The teacher told them, and the couple exchanged glances. "I would like to have her take a test to see if she's ready to be moved up into advanced placement next year."

"Advanced placement at this school doesn't begin until fifth grade!" Mr. Martin's eyes narrowed. Mrs. Kitner looked over at him, frowning.

"Yes, I know... She's done everything she can, in this class. Her workbooks have all been completed, and none of the other years' texts have proven to be a challenge for her."

"It's _February_!"

"Yes. Yes, it is."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

That night, the Martin couple was home. Mr. Martin sat in a chair, reading a book, and Mrs. Martin was working on a book of crossword puzzles while sitting on a sofa. They were alone... Finally, Mrs. Martin could take it no longer. She stood up and left the living room, walking down a small and dark hallway to the very last room. She arrived and opened the door, and she blinked in surprise.

Her seven year-old daughter sat at a desk scattered with library books and papers covered in scribbled-in symbols, her long brown hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. The child seemed to be in the process of doing her homework and encrypting it in a code she had designed, a smile on her face as her glasses glinted in the yellowed lamplight.

"... Eleanor?" Mrs. Martin asked, frowning worriedly. The little girl blinked, then looked up at her with a grin, her big blue eyes shining.

"Hey, Mommy!" She greeted, then she gestured to one of her books. "Did you know that most of the codebreakers during World War II were women?" Mrs. Martin blinked in surprise. Then, the woman gave a small smile, nodding.

"Yes, dear. Your great-nana was one of them... Do you like to learn about that sort of thing?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Alright." Mrs. Martin closed the door, sighing softly as she leaned against it and looked up at the ceiling, then she walked down the hallway, entering the living-room once more. "George?"

"Yes, Helen?" Mr. Martin looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Did you talk to her?" Mrs. Martin nodded, smiling softly.

"Yes, I did... And I want her to take that test."

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 ** _Sixteen Years Later..._**

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

An old, rusted, brown pickup truck drove down an icy and battered road that weaves through a landscape of frigid mountains, snowy hills, icy lakes, and evergreen trees. The engine sputtered lightly, but the truck kept a good pace as it made its way towards a little log-cabin sitting beside a small lake.

The driver pulled the truck into a garage and exited the vehicle to close the garage-door by hand, then they went back to the truck and retrieved a large paper bag filled with groceries. They closed the truck's door before walking through the garage to a door that lead into the cabin, opening the door and stepping inside before closing the door.

It was a young woman in her early twenties with long, lightly-curly brown hair that fell to her upper back and cascaded over her shoulders, some of it pulled back from the front of her head and tied in a small, low ponytail that was then braided over the tresses at the back of her head. Her bangs were grown out and swished to the left. Her eyes were a shade of dark blue, and a pair of rentangle-framed brown glasses were perched on the tip of her nose. Light freckles were under her eyes, and her skin was lightly suntanned but still a bit pale.

She wore a pair of faded blue jeans, brown boots that went to just below her knees and were laced up, a red collared dress-shirt with the top two buttons undone, and a brown pea-coat that wasn't buttoned-up. Her wrists held a multitude of bracelets of silver and brown leather with symbols carved into it, and there were a pair of opal stud-earrings in her ears. A black chord around her neck held a small, silver replica of _Mjølnir_ \- the hammer used by _Marvel_ 's Thor. A brown strap across her body held a brown leather satchel to her right side, and it had the image of running horses imprinted on it. A pair of simple, white earbuds were in her ears, the chord going down to her left pocket - where her cellphone was situated.

" ** _If everybody had an ocean_**

 ** _Across the U.S.A.,_**

 ** _Then everybody'd be surfin'_**

 ** _Like Californi-a..!_** " She sang quietly with her music, grinning as she carried her groceries into her kitchen. "

 ** _You'd seem 'em wearing their baggies,_**

 ** _Huarachi sandals too..!_**

 ** _A bushy bushy blonde hairdo..!_**

 ** _Surfin' U.S.A.!_** "

The young woman set her bags down and began unpacking, placing refrigeratables in the fridge before placing the longer-lasting food in the pantry. She hummed along with her music, lightly bobbing her head as she organized cans and bags of chips. She finished quickly and closed the pantry, and she passed her fridge on the way further into the house. A blue magnet held a newspaper clipping to the shiny surface.

...

 ** _FASTIS KILLER UNCOVERED AT LAST!_**

 _Young Codebreaker Unlocks the Murderer's Complete Key!_

 _A New Yorker -Turned- Alaskan Hermit, 23 Year-Old Eleanor Martin Has Solved the "Unsolvable" Crime in Just Two Years' Work!_

...

* * *

The young woman walked into a small living room and hummed softly as she looked around. Her blue eyes flitted to a desk covered in scattered papers with apparent nonsense written all over them in sloppy pen, then to a recliner in the corner surrounded by shelves and stacks of books. Her eyes went to a small television, and she raised a hand to the pendant around her neck, giving a small smirk. It could be time for another marathon...

But the young woman sighed and approached a reinforced sliding-glass door, moving the blinds aside before opening the door. The woman took a deep breath of fresh air and smiled before she stepped out into the snow and closed the door, and she slowly walked towards the frozen lake. A massive black cottonwood was at the shore, and from a lower branch hung a swing.

The woman walked over and brushed snow off of the swing before sitting down on it, swingingback and forth as she looked up at the blue sky with a smile. The peace, the fresh air, the freedom - this was why she came to this place...

And it was all about to go to Hell.

There was a strange noise, and when the woman's eyes opened, she saw a strange green, pink, blue, and yellow vortex of light hovering in the air. She quickly stood up and ripped her earbuds out, astonished.

"Whoa." The woman gripped the strap of her satchel and took a step back, her eyes wide. From the vortex, a massive silver being stepped through - with burning red eyes and a body of metal. The being was flanked by two others, one that was blue with a visor for a face and one that was red and wore a dark smirk. "What the heck..?"

"Eleanor Marie Martin?" The silver being asked, and the young woman frowned as it slowly approached her. "The codebreaker?"

"... Yes." The young woman replied uneasily, gripping her satchel tighter. "God, this is not how I saw myself dying." The being blinked, then he raised an eyebrow.

"You assume we are here to kill you?"

"I've seen too many movies to think of anything else." The woman admitted, blinking as she gazed up at the silver creature. "It's either gonna be dissection, brain-scan, or weird science - and I really hope you have to kill me first and that it'll be quick and I won't feel my organs being harvested."

"Ew!" The red one cringed lightly. "Humans, disgusting!" The silver being shot a glare at the red one, then he looked back at Eleanor.

"Miss Martin, we are not here to harm you." He assured, and she blinked. "On the contrary... We need your help."

"... What?" The woman asked, slowly lowering her guard. The silver mech approached and got down on one knee to get a good look at her, his red eyes narrowed.

"There is not much time... Come."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

When a scary giant robot say "come", a person should really take the polite road and go to avoid being stepped on. That was Eleanor Martin's reasoning when she followed the three beings through their portal.

Eleanor gripped the strap or her satchel so tightly that her knuckles turned white as the two other beings left, leaving her alone with the silver being. She looked around the dark room filled with strange monitors until her eyes arrived at the front, where the silver being had his back to her, and when she saw windows and open sky, she took a deep breath. She was in some sort of ship in the sky, facing a massive and terrifying-looking metal being of unknown origin.

What a Monday.

"... Miss Martin." The massive silver mech turned around, and Eleanor took a step back, her eyes widening. "Do not fear. As I said before, we have no intention of harming you. We simply require your specific skill-set to assist in a project of ours... You are the best codebreaker that this world has to offer, are you not?"

"I..." The woman blinked, then she took a deep breath and looked up at the mech. She didn't know if she could do what they wanted of her, but she wouldn't send them hunting for some other innocent person. And, perhaps, if she did do as they asked, they would let her go. "What code is it that needs broken?"

"It should be simple for someone of your supposed talents." The mech gestured to a screen, and several encripted phrases appeared on it. "They are coordinates, locations on this planet. Our enemies smuggled dangerous artifacts here, artifacts that could do harm to your people. We are here to collect them before they can be uncovered and placed into the wrong hands, and then we shall leave. This is a mission of assistance, of mercy - but the files we recovered from our enemies are encrypted, and we are unable to break the code."

"... So, if I break the code and get you these coordinates, you'll get these dangerous artifacts off of my planet and go?" Eleanor asked, frowning slightly. "No one will get hurt?" The silver mech nodded, his expression serious.

"That is correct. We are simply here to ensure our people's technology does not cause any more harm than it already has, but we must also be cautious. If we were to reveal ourselves to your species, there would be panic - and that would be contrary to our cause here on Earth. We are guardians of freedom, of peace."

"Hm." Eleanor looked down, then she looked back at him. "... Alright. I'll need a copy of your number and letter system and access to your computers. The language and technology barrier will cause a bit of trouble, but I'd say that - at most - I could have those decoded in... Maybe two or three weeks?"

"And, if you had assistance from one who has in-depth knowledge of both of the codes and a bit of experience in codebreaking?"

"That would probably cut the time in half, at least." The woman nodded, crossing her arms. "I suppose that that's why you want to have both, me and him. You want to get these codes cracked as soon as you can so that you can retrieve the artifacts."

"Perceptive." The silver mech gave a light smirk, nodding. "I knew that finding you was a wise choice, Eleanor Martin... Yes, your partner has already been located, and he is working on the code as we speak. Once we bring you up to speed, you should both be able to crack the code rather easily."

"If you say so." Eleanor gave a small shrug, then she frowned again. "Just so I don't raise or lower my expectations, what's to become of me once this project is completed?"

"As I have said twice before, we have no intention of harming you." The silver mech insisted, and Eleanor looked skeptical. "We are here to protect mankind, yourself included... I must apologize for bringing the burden of your world's future upon you."

"... It is a bit above my pay-grade." The woman gave a light smile, then her eyes narrowed and she nodded. "But hey - I am the woman who cracked the code of the Fastis Killer. I'm not even sure if there is a pay-grade for that... I'll do it."

"Thank you, Miss Martin, for your contribution." The silver mech nodded, then he turned and began walking, a door opening as he approached it. "Now, we must introduce you to your partner. Orion Pax shall be most pleased to meet you." Eleanor followed the mech, still gripping the strap of her satchel tightly.

"Mind if I know your name, boss?" She asked, grinning lightly. The silver mech looked down at her questioningly. " _Silver Guy_ seems below your pay-grade."

"I am Megatron." The mech replied curtly. "Leader of the Decepticons." Decepticons? That brought to mind _deception_ , but Eleanor wasn't stupid enough to point that out...

"... That is one of the coolest things I've ever heard." The young woman said, and the red-eyed mech blinked. "No wonder your enemies are hiding. Your name alone wins half the war on intimidation. Nice." The silver mech looked straight forward as he kept walking, though he couldn't help but smirk.

* * *

Eleanor followed Megatron down the hallway, frowning slightly as she held onto the strap of her bag. Even though she had agreed to assisting him with the encryptions, she did feel a little unsettled - especially when it came to meeting her supposed partner. From what she'd seen, these robots were pretty scary looking - and she wouldn't be able to focus with a metal creep peering over her shoulder with those burning, red eyes...

"Here we are." Megatron turned to a door, and it opened. "Orion, how is your progress?" Eleanor blinked, peeking out from behind Megatron as the large figure in the room turned around. He was tall, and colored in red, blue, and black. His eyes - or _optics_ , Eleanor decided - weren't red. They were a pretty, innocent-looking blue.

' _Damn._ ' Eleanor thought, blinking again. ' _I never thought that something that big could look that innocent and have eyes that cute. What are these things, giant skinless Furbys? Actually, no: that image is terrifying..._'

"I have succeeded in decoding one entry thus far, Lord Megatron." The robot, Orion, replied in a deep voice. It suited him, Eleanor decided, giving a small smile as she tilted her head to the side, growing more curious than she was afraid. This Orion Pax was different...

"Excellent, Orion." Megatron nodded in approval. "Now, while I appreciate your work, I have come to fear that the Autobots may be attempting to crack these same codes and track down the artifacts. Therefore, I have seen fit to seek out one with skills similar to your own so that you may accelerate your efforts."

"You have?" Orion asked, seeming a bit unsettled. Megatron raised a hand - _servo_ , probably - to calm Orion, giving a small smile.

"Do not fret, Orion. I am aware that, due to your injury and subsequent lapse in memory, you have found certain comrades of yours to be a bit on the... _Abrasive side_."

"I... Have." Orion admitted, looking down. He seemed ashamed, and Megatron placed a servo on his shoulder - or maybe it was called a _rotator-cup_. Eleanor didn't know - she was an expert in code and language, not mechanics.

"That is why I looked to an outside source when seeking your partner." Megatron announced, then he looked back. "Miss Martin?" At hearing her name, Eleanor stepped out from behind Megatron, folding her hands behind her back as she looked up at a surprised Orion. "Orion Pax, meet Eleanor Martin. She is the best codebreaker that Earth has to offer, and she has come here in order to help us save her planet from the potentially destructive use of the artifacts."

"She is a human?" Orion asked, surprised, and he got down on one knee to get a better look. "Fascinating."

"You're pretty neat yourself, mister." Eleanor gave a light grin, holding her hand out. "Nice to meet you, Orion Pax." Orion blinked, then mimicked the gesture and extended his servo. Eleanor grabbed his massive index-finger and shook it twice, then lowered her hand and folded her arms behind her back, again. Orion seemed intrigued as he lowered his servo.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance as well, Eleanor Martin."

"Eleanor would be fine."

"Alright." Orion gave a small smile. "You may call me Orion."

"Alright." Eleanor nodded, then she crossed her arms. "Well, let's get to work. I have to get home in time to stare at the ceiling and spiral into a deep, dark void of depression while I wait for the next season of _Sherlock_ to be released. Can't miss that."

"... These humans are strange creatures." Orion noted, standing up and looking at Megatron. Megatron just shrugged, shaking his helm.

"I myself do not understand their mannerisms anymore than you do, old friend."

"Ay, something we have in common." Eleanor gave a small smirk, raising an eyebrow and clapping her hands together as the two mechs looked down at her. She rubbed her hands together in the wake of the clap, grinning. "Well, boys - it's time to get down to business. You need these codes cracked so that you can find these artifacts, and we don't have much time - so now that the pleasantries are over, I think we should get to work."

"That seemed to make sense." Orion commented, then he nodded. "Very well, Eleanor." Orion scooped the young woman up and set her down next to the main monitor's keyboard. "What do you make of this?"

"Hm." Eleanor's blue eyes flitted around the screen, and she gave a nod of thanks as Megatron brought up a screen that had his kind's letters and numbers and their English conversions. "... How I usually start is by testing the classic code-formations used by historical figures on the cipher in question. Earth has a long line of encryptors throughout the ages, and they were clever but simple. If I apply Ceasar's old method..." Her eyes flitted over the smaller screens. "No. They've exchanged the numbers in the coordinates for letters... Okay, let's see what happens when we try-..."

Megatron turned and left the two codebreakers in the room, folding his arms behind his back as the door closed in the wake of his departure. As he walked down the hallway, he began to smirk.

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

The red being from before frowned at Megatron as the warlord inspected what appeared to be a med-bay.

"My lord, if I may inquire once more - why did you bring a human onboard?" The red mech asked, confused. "From what you have said, Orion Pax is perfectly capable of completing Project Iacon on his own, and humans are... Inferior."

"That they are, Knockout." Megatron agreed, looking back at the medic. "But Soundwave's research appears to have discovered an outlier, one on-par with the human hacker that the Autobots have employed in their service. Eleanor Martin is a brilliant codebreaker by human standards, and I tested them by our own... Soundwave could not decode the encryption of this so-called Fastis Killer's messages with any of his technology, yet she could with her mind."

"Impressive." Knockout noted, giving a small smirk. "But did you really only bring her here to give Orion a helping hand?"

"... No." Megatron admitted, his optics narrowing. "The human's presence is meant to ease Orion's nerves, especially due to his distrust of our crew. By having her kept here and cared for, we can fool Orion into believing that we are the cause seeking the betterment of humankind."

"Nicely done." Knockout commended his leader, grinning. "I assume that her fate will be the same as Orion's upon the completion of their task?" Megatron gave a small chuckle.

"I am not often fond of assumptions, Knockout... But I must say, you are becoming better at making them."

* * *

 ** _Well, how's that for a prologue?_**

 ** _Back when I first watched "Transformers: Prime", I didn't like the Orion Pax Arc that much. With the other "Transformers" incarnations I had watched growing up, I wasn't really a fan of seeing Optimus Prime - the most badass character I had ever seen - reduced to an awkward, naïve, and nervous little nerd._**

 ** _... Then, I remembered "Transformers: Animated" Optimus Prime and all was suddenly right in the universe. XD_**

 ** _I'm kidding, I'm kidding - that guy was great. And so was Orion Pax, once I actually started analyzing the arc for what it really was. That arc was meant to show us that Optimus really deserved to be the Autobot Leader and that, even before he was chosen by Primus, he was a genuinely good person... 'Bot... You know what I mean!_**

 ** _"Some are born great, some rise to greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them" - Orion Pax was all of the above, and this arc shows us why Primus chose to make him Optimus Prime. Sure, Ratchet's story explained a lot - but just watching that awkward, naïve, and nervous little nerd talk back to Megatron when he feared that his "old friend" had gone bad is evidence enough that the story was true._**

 ** _God, I love that arc now. It's my favorite, and I wanted to write a story that starts in it. :)_**

 _ **I got the idea for Eleanor Martin by watching shows like "Psych" and "Sherlock" and considering Orion Pax's featured skill-set. There are lots of brilliant human codebreakers, and I wanted to create sort of a young, modern version of the classic codebreaker in Eleanor.** **She's clever, smart, and quick to grasp new concepts - and when there is something at stake, she gets right down to business and starts working to achieve her goals. But at the same time, she does half of the things she does because she got bored and she's a massive nerd - and she needs a much bigger filter for the things that threaten to spill out of her mouth.** **I characterized her in this way mostly because I'm the sort of person who likes to screw with the Transformers in these sorts of stories. XD**_

 _ **I wanted a character who could keep up with the nonsense while still retaining humanity, as displayed in her nervousness when facing the Cybertronians. However, once she got comfortable, I was allowed to have a bit more fun with her. She played off of** **Megatron and Orion in a way that left them both confused, she's capable of keeping up with these "superior" beings and even out-pacing them, and she's clever enough to begin showing Orion a new way of doing something they're both good at. I'm so excited about where I'm going to take her from here, I can't even stand it!**_

 ** _*deep breath*_**

 ** _I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**

 _P.S.: The "Fastis Killer" is a parody of the infamous Zodiac Killer. "Fastis" means "Calendar" in Latin, so... Yeah. I thought it was a clever way to show her talents without "breaking history", but whatever._

 _P.P.S.: I did research on Cybertronian anatomy for this story, and I don't know if any of you guys did that, so..._

 _servo = hand_

 _helm = head_

 _faceplate = face_

 _rotator-cup = shoulder_

 _ped = foot_

 _audial-sensor = ear_

 _aft/tailpipe = rear-end_

 _spark = heart/soul_

 _Energon = fuel, ammunition, blood_

 _optic = eye_

 _chestplate = chest_

 _dentas = teeth_


	2. Truths & Falsehoods

Eleanor jotted down some notes in a small notebook before looking up at the screen with a frown.

"Move down three letters and configure to the numeral equivalent, then add five and divide by three..."

"And you uncover the coordinates." Orion finished, his optics wide as he watched the symbols on the screen turn blue. "How did you figure it out?" Eleanor hummed as she took a _Sharpie_ out of her satchel and wrote something on her arm.

"The planet's mostly covered by water. While I don't doubt that the ones who hid these things on this rock could hide relics in the water, I figured they'd probably be in a rush to hide these things and wouldn't want to loose them. They needed recognizable landmarks." She began, bringing up a map of the Earth on the monitors. "So, every coordinate had to be on the land - that alone removes a lot of coordinates." Orion nodded, frowning.

"Very well."

"Next, I realized that the ones who coded this things also had to be in a hurry - but they were also brilliant, that's why they did a different coding system for each set of coordinates." Eleanor continued, frowning as she reached into her satchel and pulled out a can of _Coke_ , opening it. "So, they would have to use simple systems and combine them together - so I took the one-hundred letters of your alphabet and lined them up with your first one-hundred numbers and I converted the coordinates to numerical form. By adding five and dividing by three-"

"You discovered logical coordinates that fit your parameters."

"And-" She smiled deviously as she brought up an image on the screen. "Recognizable landmark." She took a sip from her _Coke_ as Orion nodded reverently.

"Well done, Eleanor." He told her quietly. "You certainly are a skilled code breaker." Eleanor lowered her _Coke_ can and beamed, nodding.

"Thanks. Now-" The door behind them suddenly opened, and Eleanor and Orion looked back in surprise. A mech was standing there, holding crates of something that glowed blue.

"... Optimus Prime!" The mech suddenly snapped, dropping the crates and raising two missiles attached to his arms. Orion quickly grabbed Eleanor and held her to his chest to try and shield her, his optics widening.

"Please, I mean no harm!"

"Oh?! Then, what are you doing here?!"

"Research for Lord Megatron."

"Dude, don't call him _Lord_." Eleanor said despite her fear, her blue eyes flitting up to Orion. "You'll only inflate his ego." The mech blinked, then he raised an optic-brow.

"Is this some kind of joke?!"

"I do not understand." Orion admitted fearfully. "And why did you call me 'Optimus Prime'?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a badass' name." Eleanor commented, then she lightly poked Orion's arm. "This guy's an overgrown puppy."

"Uh... Why wouldn't I call him that?" The mech asked, confused. Orion blinked, then looked down forlornly.

"Because my name is Orion Pax, and I am far from being a Prime."

"What's a Prime?" Eleanor inquired, raising an eyebrow. Orion looked down at her.

"A Prime is chosen by Primus in times of great need." He explained, frowning at her. "They are meant to serve, protect, and guide my kind through hardship and struggle." He looked up at the missile-wielding mech. "How could I be mistaken for one of them?"

"Err... You reminded me of someone I once knew, that's all." The mech answered tensely. Eleanor held up her _Coke_ can and threw it, deadpanning as she watched it bounce off of the surprised mech's face and spill a bit of its contents onto him.

"If you're gonna lie, you could at least be convincing about it."

"... You are Starscream?" Orion asked, seeming surprised. The mech blinked, then sighed and nodded.

"Yes."

"Lord Megatron told me you had been terminated." Orion admitted, and Eleanor blinked. The mech rolled his eyes.

"Lord Megatron says many things, only some of which are true."

"You do not suggest that our leader would speak falsehoods..?" Orion seemed surprised. The mech immediately laughed out loud.

"Ha! You truly are being kept in the dark, aren't you?"

"You speak in many riddles, Starscream." Orion seemed worried, now. "Please, tell me what it is that you know." The mech chuckled, raising an optic-brow.

"And, in return..?" He asked, smirking. Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Decepticon guards.

"Starscream, surrender!"

"Hold your fire!" Orion advised, his optics wide. Starscream suddenly transformed and flew off, and the guards looked back at Orion and Eleanor.

"Remain in the lab." One ordered, sounding angry. Orion blinked, surprised.

"But I-"

"Lord Megatron's orders." The guard added, then they ran off. Eleanor looked up at Orion worriedly.

"What was that all about?"

"... I don't know." Orion admitted quietly, then his optics narrowed. "But we will be finding out." Eleanor blinked, then she grinned and nodded.

"Yes! I officially love it when you get feisty! Power to the Pax!"

* * *

It was around an hour later when Megatron entered the room. Eleanor and Orion looked back from their work to see the leader of the Decepticons frowning at them.

"Orion, Eleanor - I'm so sorry for the recent commotion. You weren't in any way harmed, were you?

"No, Lord Megatron." Orion assured, nodding. Eleanor crossed her arms and shrugged.

"I beaned that stiletto-wearing freak in the head with a _Coke_ can. I'm good."

"... But why did you tell me that Starscream was dead?" Orion asked, frowning. Megatron blinked, then he sighed.

"Because he is dead to our cause. Starscream was my most-trusted lieutenant, until he turned traitor and joined the Autobots. Never have a witnessed a more profound act of deceit... He did not do or say anything troubling to you?"

"He called me a _pet_." Eleanor offered, and Megatron looked at her. "... You guys don't keep humans as pets, right?"

"No, we do not." Megatron told her, frowning. "We try to avoid human contact whenever possible, actually. However, the Autobots have been known to abduct children." Eleanor blinked, then she cringed.

"Okay, the Autobots are starting to remind me of those scary drug-taking aliens from _Torchwood_. Did they kill a Ianto and make a Jack Harkness cry, too?"

"Just going to disregard that..." Megatron looked at the other mech in the room. "And you, Orion?"

"... No." Orion replied, frowning. Megatron smiled, placing a servo on Orion's rotator-cup.

"Good. Perhaps it's best to forget the entire incident and return to your project."

"As you wish, my lord." Orion replied, and Megatron turned away. Orion and Eleanor went silent as he departed...

"... Ego." Eleanor reminded Orion as soon as the door had closed. Orion sighed and looked over at her, frowning.

"Enough."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

At some point, Eleanor began getting tired. Orion checked what time it was in the "Alaska Standard Time" system she was accustomed to. When he informed her that it was one in the morning, she groaned and sat down at the side of the keyboard, sighing.

"Great. No wonder my head's getting fuzzy." She commented, annoyed. "Never work while tired." Orion blinked, then he recalled hearing once from Alpha Trion that organic life-forms had a sort of stasis called "sleep" that they frequently had to enter, or they would become exhausted and eventually die.

"You should get some rest." Orion announced, frowning. "You can get back to work in a few hours. I'll work on my own, for a little while." Eleanor blinked, then she frowned.

"Don't you need rest?"

"I can keep working."

"... Nope." Eleanor stood up, looking back at the screen. "I'm not resting if you're not resting. That's not how this works."

" _This_?"

"We're partners in this, aren't we?"

"Yes..." Orion sighed, pausing his work and sitting down on the floor, looking up at the young woman as she sat down at the edge of the workstation and looked down at her. "Persistent, aren't you?"

"That's the nice way of putting it." Eleanor joked, shrugging, then she slowly frowned. "You okay?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. You've had a rough day, and you seem pretty down."

"... I am afraid." Orion admitted quietly, looking up at the ceiling. "And angry... My homeworld is gone, and all up I know is what Megatron has told me. And now, I have reason to believe he has lied to me about everything." Eleanor frowned, then she slid off of the workstation, landing on his knee. The mech blinked as she hopped over to his arm next, sitting down on his servo and grabbing his finger.

"Tell me about your planet?" She asked softly, and Orion blinked again. Slowly, he smiled and nodded.

"Its name is Cybertron... And it was beautiful."

* * *

The story went on longer than Orion had expected. He went from telling Eleanor about his planet to explaining his entire life-story to the little human, who listened patiently. He spoke of his caregivers, his time as a sparkling and his schooling, his job as a clerk, his friendship with Alpha Trion, how he met Megatronus, the plans that he and the gladiator made, and how they walked up to that senate building together...

"And... That's the last that I remember, before Megatron claims that the Autobots captured me and held me in stasis." Orion admitted quietly. "A bright light, then I awakened in a strange chamber. Megatronous looked angry, and the Autobots came rushing in... Then, I was here. Megatronus - Megatron - told me that Cybertron was dead, ravaged by two-billion years of war." Orion closed his optics, frowning. "The universe is so different, now. My old friend is so different, now... And I don't know who I can trust."

"... I'm sorry, Orion." Eleanor spoke softly. "That sounds awful... You must be really strong, keeping together like you are." Orion opened his optics and blinked, then he gave a small smile.

"Perhaps, tomorrow, I can hear your story."

"Maybe." Eleanor replied, then she yawned. "But let me tell you, now: it probably won't be nearly as interesting as yours..."

"I'm just a clerk." Orion told her. "But because I am from a different world, it sounds fantastical to you... I am certain that, when you tell your story, the effect will be similar. I will probably find it even more fantastical - Megatron said you were Earth's greatest codebreaker, after all."

"Hm." Eleanor smiled, taking her satchel off as she hopped onto the floor and went to a corner. "Maybe so - but I'm nothing special, really." She laid down, using her satchel to rest her head upon, and she closed her eyes. "I'm just the girl who had too much time on her hands... Goodnight, Orion."

"Goodnight, Eleanor." Option replied, nodding. "And thank you."

"... You're welcome." She replied, then she went silent. After a time, Orion was certain that she was in a deep state of sleep, and he sighed.

"Eleanor Martin." Orion mused quietly, giving a small grin as he closed his optics and drifted towards stasis. "What an odd little thing..."

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

In the morning, Eleanor woke up to find Orion already at work. She blinked, then gave a light grin as she put her satchel on and stood, running over and knocking on his ped.

"Mornin'!" She greeted as he looked down at her. Orion smiled, nodding.

"Good morning, Eleanor." He replied, extending a servo. Eleanor hopped on, and he lifted her up and set her down on the edge of the keyboard. "Are you ready to get back to work?"

"If you are." She answered, placing her hands on her hips. Orion blinked, then he sighed and frowned.

"You believe I should be certain, before we continue?"

"I'm not saying you have to do anything." Eleanor stated, frowning as Orion looked down at his servos. "I'm just making sure you have no regrets, when all of this is over."

"... Okay." Orion reached out shakily, then he began typing. " _Optimus Prime_..." An image appeared. "Oh."

"Huh." Eleanor crossed her arms. "Those are big shoulder-pads." Orion read the description

" _Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobot Invaders_. I reminded Starscream of him?"

"It's in the horns." Eleanor grinned, pointing to the sides of her head. Orion looked over at her, a little frustrated.

"Eleanor, that's not helping."

"Okay, okay." Eleanor raised her hands. "Just breathe, okay? Or do whatever one of you guys does to calm down. You look like you're gonna pass out."

"... Lord Megatron said _Ratchet_ was the Autobot Leader." Orion noted quietly, and Eleanor blinked as he examined the picture more-carefully. "Someone is not telling the truth... Eleanor?" She raised an eyebrow. "I've noticed something odd, here. Could you, perhaps, assist me?" Eleanor blinked, then she nodded and stood up straight.

"Sure. That's what I'm here for, isn't it?" She asked, walking across the keypad to look up at his monitor. She examined the image, then blinked as she noticed a few odd pixels. "Huh. An encryption hiding an image behind another image, eh? Nice... That's Decepticon code, isn't it? Why would they encrypt something in their own files?"

"My question exactly." Orion looked down at her. "Every block of five-hundred pixels should have one line of code to decrypt, and there are four-thousand pixels."

"So, there's eight lines of code to break?" Eleanor crossed her arms. "We've been working with Decepticon code for a while, it should be simple for us." Orion brought up the lines of code. "You take the first four while I take the second?"

"If that is how you wish to do it."

"... Why, though?" Eleanor looked up at Orion, frowning. "I mean, I'm paranoid - but you... Megatron said that Starsceam was a traitor. I thought you said we could trust Megatron, since you used to be friends."

"In my spark, I believe that all is not right with my old friend." Orion admitted, then he looked back at the monitor. "This shall either prove Megatron trustworthy or reveal him as a speaker of falsehoods. I must know the truth."

"... Okay." Eleanor nodded, smiling. "Let's do it, Pax."

* * *

About ten minutes into the decrypting process, Eleanor got sick of the silence.

"So... What do you know about humans?" Eleanor asked, typing at the computer. "I mean, you knew I needed sleep. What else do you know?" Orion was silent. "Okay, then... Ever been to Alaska? It's beautiful, once you get past the oil-fields. Canada is also nice." Orion still said nothing. "Hm. You've got the personality of a Canadian - you know, since you're really nice - but I don't know, I think you're more of a United States sort of guy - and I'm not just saying that because of the color-scheme."

"Hm."

"... Okay, pal - I do my best codebreaking with a distraction. Usually, I have a _Marvel_ movie playing in the background, but now that science-fiction isn't so fiction anymore, this'll probably do. I mean, how often does a human get to meet a giant alien robot and work with them on their favorite hobby? Not often, I think."

"I fear that, if we speak as we work, Megatron will not believe that we are putting our all into our efforts. He will interrupt us and discover our distrust."

"Hey, my planet's on the line. Believe me, I'm working my tail off on both of these projects, Pax."

"... Do humans possess tails?" Orion asked, looking at her in surprise. Eleanor blinked, then she grinned and shook her head.

"No, it's just an expression. Fifty percent of everything that comes out of a human's mouth is typically sass, sarcasm, or an expression of some sort."

"What a strange culture, your people have."

"Well, actually - there are thousands of cultures on Earth. I was born in the United States, but my ancestors were from Germany, Scotland, Britain, and Ireland - so I still keep to some of their customs."

"Your world is divided into many different factions with unique cultures?"

"Well, they're _countries_ \- but yeah, pretty much." Eleanor gave a small shrug. "There are hundreds of them, and they're are even cultural differences within the countries across areas and social class."

"Is social-class a large issue on your planet?"

"Hm... Yeah, I'd say so." Eleanor frowned at the screen. "I've never had a problem with it, but it's not something that anyone with a brain can just _ignore_. Terrorism, racism, social-class, conflict in other countries - if you're observant, like me, they're about as easy to ignore as the World War II section of a proper history textbook. God, that was terrible - but it was always my favorite topic of study, in school."

"Your entire world has erupted into conflict... Twice?"

"Yep. Fun, right?" She hit a button, and the woman grinned. "Yes! Just broke the third one! Which one have you got?"

"I have also just decoded my third encryption."

"Alright! We're on the final stretch!" Eleanor smiled, continuing to type. Orion looked over at her, giving a small smile.

"You certainly are passionate about codebreaking."

"Yep. Always have been."

"What about the topic caught your interest?"

"Oh, well - it's sort of like an adventure, isn't it? You're discovering something that's hidden, and a lot of the time it's helpful information. And I like helping people... My great-nana used to help people, like this."

" _Great-nana_..?"

"Um..." Eleanor looked up, thinking back to Orion's story and trying to choose the right phrasing. _Carrier_ meant _mother_... "My carrier's carrier's carrier."

"Oh."

"Yep. I'm actually educated as a language teacher, like she was - I just went to work with police-departments instead. Codes and encryptions like these show up more often than you think, and decoding those Fastis Killer messages set me for life."

"Fastis Killer?"

"Some sicko from the American south-west. He sent his codes in, saying that if someone decoded them right, he'd reveal himself. No one was ever able to do it, but then there was me. And I got 'im - just wish he wasn't already dead. It was his son who came forward once the code was cracked, handed in his old man's confession... Anyway, I'm kind of a genius when it comes to this stuff."

"Is that why Megatron sought you out?"

"He actually kinda kidnapped me. But that makes sense, since my planet would probably panic. I mean, giant alien robots? That's scary stuff."

"... Are you afraid, then?"

"I was, at first. But then, I realized just how cool this all is." Eleanor looked up, giving a light smile. "I mean, meeting you? That's amazing. I never even thought something like this was possible... So thanks for being here, and for helping my planet."

"... You're welcome." Orion smiled, nodded in response. "I am glad that we had the chance to meet, Eleanor." Suddenly, both of their monitors beeped and they blinked before looking up at the main screen. "The encryption has been decoded."

"The picture's changing." Eleanor's blue eyes narrowed. One by one, every pixel changed... "Whoa."

"No." Orion's optics widened as he stared at an image of himself. "How can I possibly be Optimus Prime?"

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Megatron's optics narrowed as he gazed at the image on Soundwave's visor.

"That encryption was supposed to be too strong for either of them to defeat it!" He snapped, then he blinked as Soundwave brought up the image of the two. "They worked together... They are more skilled than we expected, and they still have much to accomplish. They must stay the course, even if I must inflict great pain to ensure the completion of Project Iacon."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Orion stood in a corner, leaning against the wall as he took in and released air.

"How... Is this... Supposed... To help?!"

"It's a human thing." Eleanor replied, working at the monitor to re-encrypt the coordinates. "I figured that, at least, it would help you get your mind off of things long enough for you to calm down." Orion blinked, then stood up straight and frowned at her.

"Is it almost done?"

"Yeah." Eleanor replied, her eyes narrowing. "I'm mixing the methods used the first time around AND Ceasar's method AND some Fastis Killer shit, so these are gonna be really messed up. King 'Con is gonna hate me..!"

"... Thank you, Eleanor." Orion looked down with a frown. "You have risked much to help me avert catastrophe. Know that I will do everything in my power to protect you, should Megatron try to retaliate."

"Aw." Eleanor beamed, looking up at him. "And you wonder why they made you a Prime." Orion blinked, then looked down sheepishly.

"I..."

"Got it!" Eleanor grinned, the last of the codes turning red. "Oh, yes - success!" Orion's expression lit up, and he looked up at her.

"You did it..." He smiled fondly at the little human. "Eleanor, you-" The door suddenly opened, and Eleanor closed the tab before she and Orion looked back to see Megatron and Soundwave entering the room.

"Orion, Eleanor." Megatron greeted, frowning. "Have you made progress with Project Iacon?" Orion rubbed the back of his neck, smiling awkwardly.

"It seems that I am a bit rustier than I thought."

"Might that have anything to do with the nature of your after-hours research?" Megatron asked, and he pressed a button. All of the research on Optimus Prime revealed itself, and Optimus' optics and Eleanor's eyes widened. "Did I fail to mention that we would be tracking your activities?"

"Why does history portray me siding with the Autobot aggressors and why did Starscream call me Prime?" Orion demanded after a brief hesitation, his optics narrowing. "I must know, who am I?"

"You are my clerk, now get back to work and decode that database."

"... No." Orion refused, frowning. "I would rather erase my findings than make them available for your questionable use."

"... Don't bother, Orion." Eleanor scoffed, looking up at Megatron. "Sorry, _Silver Guy_ , but I'm afraid that I've gone and taken matters into my own hands. Your saved files detailing those coordinates have been deleted and the only remaining copies of the coordinates have been re-encrypted."

"What?!" Megatron asked, his optics narrowing. Eleanor smirked, crossing her arms.

"Surprise, asshole!" She announced cheerily as Orion's optics widened. "That's how we do it, in New York!" Megatron aimed his cannon at her, but she didn't seem fazed. "You don't want to do that. I haven't encrypted them in the same way that they were, I used different methods that even Orion probably wouldn't know how to deal with. 'Fastis Killer'-level shit, you get me?" Her eyes narrowed. "You kill me, you never get your hands on those coordinates."

"Oh?" Megatron asked, then he aimed his cannon at Orion. "And if your partner's life is the one at risk?" Eleanor blinked, then she shrugged and drew a small object from her satchel.

"Lay so much as a claw on him, and I do this." Eleanor placed the blade of the pocket-knife on her wrist, frowning. "Located in my wrist, just under this blade, is a point where the cephalic vein and the radial artery criss-cross. A cut of this knife, and I'll bleed out and die - and those coordinates are gone. Get the picture?"

"... What is it that you want, human?" Megatron asked quietly, lowering his cannon. Eleanor glared at him.

"First up, I want to know the truth about Orion." She began quietly, and Orion blinked in surprise. Megatron scowled, but he recomposed himself.

"And how will you know the truth when you hear it?"

"Oh, I think we all know it." Eleanor said coldly. "But I want to hear you say it." Megatron remained silent for a moment, then...

"My sworn enemy Optimus Prime and myself united towards a common goal and went to silence Unicron, who is the very core of this planet." Megatron began, and Orion's optics widened in disbelief. "To lull him back into his sleep in order to save this world, Optimus Prime unleashed the Matrix of Leadership's energy upon the Chaos Bringer's spark... I found Orion shortly after, with no memory of our war."

"So, you kidnapped an amnesiac and convinced him that he was playing for your team." Eleanor concluded, then she gestured to the monitors. "You wanted him for this." Megagron nodded stiffly, and Orion placed his hand on the keypad to steady himself as he looked down with wide optics.

"Those warriors, in that chamber... Were they my comrades?" Orion asked, stunned. Megatron nodded once again.

"Yes, they were. And they have undertaken drastic measures in order to 'rescue' you." He scoffed, rolling his optics. "The femme, Arcee, even invaded this ship on her own. We had her transported to the Arctic."

"The Arctic?" Eleanor asked, then her eyes narrowed. "Are you insane?! She could freeze!" Orion looked ready to be sick, if Cybertronians could be sick.

"I doubt that she was there long enough to be damaged greatly." Megatron waved it off. Orion slowly looked up at Megatron.

"Why?" He asked quietly. "Megatron... Megatronous, you were my friend - my mentor and my brother, and together we sought equality, peace. Why-?" Megatron's optics narrowed dangerously.

"I was willing to do what it took to bring about change." He hissed, stepping towards Orion. "While you preferred to talk with those politicians about solutions that would never come to pass. Nothing would have changed if we went about things your way, so I took matters into my own hands with likeminded individuals."

"What does Earth have to do with any of that?" Eleanor asked, frowning. Megatron looked at her, glaring.

"Cybertron is in ruin. We needed someplace to go, and this world is rich in Energon - our fuel and lifeblood."

"Then, what's the problem?" Eleanor continued, raising an eyebrow. "Hasn't your war destroyed enough? Quit the bullshit and go your separate ways, live peacefully where you don't have to buy each other. It's a big planet: Decepticons go to Australia, Asia, or Africa while the Autobots hang tight in the Americas or Europe. I bet people'd be into that."

"... The problem is that Megatron doesn't want to live in peace." Orion answered for his old friend. "He wants to rule this world and its people... And he wants to use our findings to achieve that end."

"What?" Eleanor asked, stunned, and Megatron looked down at her. "... That's honestly a really bad idea." Megatron blinked as Eleanor placed her hands on her hips, frowning. "Dude, did you do any research on this rock before you decided to conquer it? The ol' US of A alone could probably kick your asses out of the freakin' solar system."

"What?"

"Get real, man!" Eleanor scoffed, crossing her arms. "We have hydrogen bombs, nukes! Chlorine!"

"... Chlorine?" Orion asked, confused. Eleanor looked up at him.

"A gas that corrodes metals." She replied, and the two mechs blinked. "Humans put it in water and swim in it for fun." Their optics widened, and Eleanor looked at Megatron. "How many 'Cons do you have? Like, a hundred? Maybe a bit more? No way that you'll take this rock, even with stuff like in that catalog." She brought up the catalog on a screen, flipping through the various weapons that could be hidden on Earth. "The Immobilizer, the Spark-Extractor: that wouldn't do shit to humans or their technology. Your plan will fail whether you get these coordinates or not, and that's probably a good thing - this rock is literal garbage. Why would you want to conquer it?"

"Oh?" Megatron raised an optic-brow. Eleanor nodded quickly.

"Yeah." She answered, and Megatron blinked. "Greenhouse gases and global warming, genocides, terrorism, poverty and hunger, mass-extinctions, social media, pollution, reality TV - we have literally ruined this planet for anyone, including us!"

"... You're bluffing." Megatron decided, frowning. Eleanor deadpanned and typed something into a monitor, then gestured as images began popping up on the screen. "... You're not bluffing."

"One word, Megs: _research_." Eleanor told him, annoyed. "Do you really want to rule this thing? You said it yourself, there's even some sort of _Chaos Bringer_ in the basement! Stay all you want, but world domination is not only impossible - it's a real bitch, like my cousin Sophie."

"Your opinion has been noted." Megatron looked away, seeming a little flustered. "Now, do you have any other demands before you give us those coordinates?"

"Yeah, one." Eleanor replied, annoyed. "Let Orion go." Megatron blinked, surprised, and Orion's optics widened. "You heard me. Let him leave this ship and go back to the Autobots, and I'll undo the damage to your files... And I'll decode the rest of the encryption's for you."

"Eleanor, no." Orion looked at her, becoming worried, and Eleanor looked back at him, frowning. She could purposefully slow her work, give him and his allies time to stop Megatron... "I won't let you stay here alone."

"Yeah, well - it's not really your choice." Eleanor looked up at Megatron, glaring. "That's the deal. Take it, or leave it." Megatron gazed down at her with narrowed eyes, then he opened his mouth to reply. However, Soundwave stepped in the way and showed Megatron an image on his visor, and Megatron blinked.

"One of our sentries has been activated on Cybertron?"

"You told me our planet was dead!" Orion finally snapped, sounding hurt. Megatron looked over at him, glaring.

"That is beside the point!" He shouted, finally having had enough. "Guards!" Some Decepticons entren the room, and Megatron revealed a blade and aimed it at Orion. "You will finish Project Iacon by the time I return, or I will carve your spark out before your very eyes!"

"Yeah, no!" Eleanor replied, and Megatron looked at her as she held her knife to her wrist. "You're gonna let Orion go, now!"

"I think not." Megatron walked over and glowered down at her. "You are brave, little human, but I've fought millennia of war. I know the looks in the eyes of my enemies. You are not brave enough to make 'the ultimate sacrifice'... You are no Optimus Prime, either of you. If I were to kill Orion, there would be nothing that you could do."

"... This was my idea!" Eleanor exclaimed quickly as the warlord threatened to turn away. "I told Orion to do further research into Optimus Prime, I encouraged and helped him go hack your files, I encrypted the coordinates, and I deleted your documents. Orion was only listening to me, so if anyone should get the axe for this, it's me. He's innocent."

"Oh?" Megatron asked, raising an optic-brow. "That is quite the confession."

"I'm not like you." Eleanor clenched her fists at her sides, and they shook. "I don't tell lies, and I do what I do so that I can do whatever I can to protect innocent lives... And I am willing to die for my cause."

"... Undo the damage you've done, and when I return, I will make your end swift." Megatron told her coldly. "You seem to grossly overestimate the quality of your work, little human. Your kind are inferior to mine, and whatever you think you have accomplished here, know that you were only ever brought here to facilitate Orion's peace of mind. He is the master codebreaker in this room, and you are _useless_." Eleanor didn't react, and Megatron scoffed. "And know this... I never intended to let you off of this ship alive."

"Know this..." Eleanor gave a devious smirk. "You are a stupid, short-sighted little prat and I would unplug your life-support to charge my phone." Megatron blinked, surprised. "There are a million words in the English language and there's no way to combine them to describe how much I want to beat you with a chair, and you're so dense that light probably bends around you - so it's no wonder that you keep your ship so dark, Dracula."

"Uh..?"

"She appears to be insulting you, Lord Megatron." One of the Decepticon soldiers noted. "In the vernacular of her kind." Megatron scowled, looking down at the young woman.

"Silence!"

"Oh, I know another good one." Eleanor grinned as Orion looked at her. "If I really wanted to kill myself, I would climb to the top of your ego and jump down to your IQ! And if you're gonna be two-faced, at least make sure that one of them is pretty!" Orion actually raised a servo to his mouth, and Megatron looked over at him

"Don't you dare!"

"Alright, alright - let's all calm down." Eleanor gave a small smile as she raised her hands. "I'd insult you further, Megs, but I've suddenly realized that I can't do even half as good of a job as nature did."

"Pfft... HA!" Orion actually started laughing as Megatron turned and stormed off with Soundwave. Eleanor waved, grinning like an idiot.

"Bye, Megs! I hope you step on a really, really big _LEGO_!"

"Just finish your research!" Megatron snapped, and then the door closed. Eleanor giggled, then blinked as the guards raised their weapons.

"Oh, shit."

* * *

A short time passed, but it felt like an eternity. Eleanor quietly typed on the computer, her eyes scanning the screens. Orion was typing nonsense, and she was making it look like a decryption. They needed time to think...

Orion pulled his servos away, and Eleanor looked up at her with a frown. He was frowning too, but when he saw her, he gave a small smile and shook his helm. The look in his optics said 'this is right', and she felt her heart sink.

"No one told you to stop, Pax." One of the guards announced. Orion hesitated, then he looked back.

"I believe Megatron intends to use whatever he finds in Project Iacon to harm the Autobots." He announced, then he straightened his posture before trying to walk past the guards and towards the door. "Please, we can warn them."

Orion was suddenly blindsided and knocked to the floor, and the guards actually began to beat him. Eleanor's eyes widened as she leapt down from the keyboard and onto the floor, wincing before standing up straight

"Orion!"

"Stay back!" Orion warned, briefly looking up at the young woman, then he yelped as the guards continued to hit and kick him without any mercy. One of the guards chuckled, landing another kick on the clerk.

"You have to admit, it's a privilege to stomp the former leader of the Autobots." He announced, suddenly throwing Orion across the room. The clerk struck the keyboard and looked up, surprised to see the image of Optimus Prime - him - there. He blinked, then he looked back jusy before the guards forced him into a corner and continued to strike him.

"No, please!" Orion pleaded, raising his servos to shield his face. "Stop!"

"Leave him alone!" Eleanor's voice shouted, and Orion looked up with wide optics to see the human stepping between him and his attackers, glaring. She had no weapons, no armor - just her tiny body and that big spirit. Her spirit once impressed him, but in the face of two massive Decepticons, it terrified him as to just how little it would do.

"Oh, look." One of the two guards got down on one knee to look at her. "We've upset his pet." Eleanor drew something from her satchel, glaring as she held it up.

"I've met some pricks in my life..." She announced, placing her finger on the trigger of her pepper-spray. "But you, sir, are a fucking cactus." Eleanor sprayed the Decepticon's optics, and he howled in pain as he stood and stumbled back. Eleanor blinked, then grinned. "Whoa! That actually worked!"

"Eleanor, run!" Orion pleaded, his optics wide. Eleanor looked back at him, her blue eyes narrowed.

"No! I'm not leaving you!" She told him, only to shout in surprise as she was suddenly picked up by the other Vehicon and lifted into the air. "H-hey! Put me down!"

"Fine!" The Vehicon replied, sounding amused, and Eleanor blinked. Then, her eyes widened as he _threw_ her. Orion reached out, suddenly panicked.

"Eleanor!"

"Ah!" Eleanor yelped as her back struck the wall and she fell down to the ground, laying on her side and groaning quietly in pain. Orion's optics narrowed, and he looked up at the Vehicons, livid.

"Enough!" He snapped, and his servos suddenly shifted into cannons. The Vehicons stepped back, surprised, and Orion blinked. "I'm armed?" The Vehicons moved to attack again and Orion recoiled, accidentally firing his cannons, and the two fell over, dead. He blinked, surprised, then stood and moved over to where Eleanor was laying. The mech shifted his cannons back into servos and picked her up, frowning down at her. "Eleanor?"

"Ugh..." The young woman sat up, and she looked at him wearily. "Now, I know what a swatted fly feels like. My sympathy goes out to the little things, really." Orion smiled, then his frown returned.

"Are you injured?"

"I'll live." She assured, then she gave a light grin. "Hey... I was just hit by a car. Think I can sue?" Orion raised an optic-brow, and she waved it off. "We'll talk, later. Let's just get out of here."

"Very well." Orion nodded, his optics narrowing. "I fear that Megatron will do harm to the Autobots. I must go and do what I can to assist them. I'll open a ground-bridge and send you to safety-"

"Uh, no offense - but I don't think that safety's an option for me, anymore." Eleanor frowned slightly. "They found me at my home. I don't really have anywhere else to go, and with their tech and how famous I've gotten recently-"

"They could track you down, regardless of where I try to send you and where you go from there." Orion realized, then his optics narrowed slightly. "I cannot bring you with me. That will place you in great danger."

"Hey, the way I see it - I'm in trouble no matter what." She gave a small smile, grabbing his finger. "And I've gone this far with you, so I might as well go the rest of the way." Orion blinked, then sighed and nodded.

"Very well. Though, you should know that I do not approve of this."

"Figured you wouldn't." Eleanor gave a light smirk. "But all the same, you don't really have another option." Orion rolled his optics and set the young woman on his rotator-cup, and she quickly grabbed into one of the spikes of his helmet and held tight as he left the room and ran down the hallway. "L-let's just find one of those _ground-bridge_ t-things quickly!"

* * *

 ** _So... Yep!_**

 ** _Here we go, barreling straight into canon! What fun!_**

 _ **Now, I know what you're all probably thinking: "Doesn't Orion lose his memories of his time on the** Nemesis **once he becomes Optimus Prime, again?". Well...**_

 _ **You'll just have to wait for the next chapter to find out what I've planned.**_

 _ **I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)**_


	3. Return of the Prime

Eleanor and Orion made their way through the ship until they found a ground-bridge port. The port was also a weapons depot, so as Orion put in the coordinates last used by a Decepticon ground-bridge, Eleanor looked around.

The young woman saw guns and grenades and blades of all different makes and sizes, and she couldn't help but feel awed and even a bit worried. This really was a warrior race, now - and she wondered how Orion could possibly adapt to it, since he had no memories of the war he had apparently been fighting for eons...

Her blue eyes fell on a small gun. It looked sort of like a human-designed double-barreled shotgun and was similar in size, but the two barrels converged into one at the end and the weapon was painted all black. Slowly, Eleanor picked it up, and it had some weight to it but it wasn't unmanageable.

"Hm." Eleanor hummed as she adjusted her hold on it, one hand holding the barrel while the other hand found the trigger. She wasn't much of a fighter, but neither was Orion - and they were both going to face Megatron...

"Eleanor." Orion looked up as he activated the ground-bridge. "It's time." Eleanor blinked, then she ran over to him.

"Think we can use this?" She asked, holding the gun up. Orion blinked, then he frowned and raised an optic-brow.

"I do not recognize that weapon's design. As you can hold it, it is probably not of Cybertronian origin."

"Well, the 'Cons had to keep it for a reason." Eleanor stated earnestly. "And you're gonna need backup, Orion, facing down that gladiator." Orion blinked again, then he smiled.

"Thank you, Eleanor." He said quietly, getting down on one knee and looking at her fondly. "For everything you've done... I swear, I will repay you for this." Eleanor's expression flashed with surprised, then she shook her head, grinning.

"No need, Pax... I don't have a lot of friends, but I tend to look out for the ones I do have." She held her hand out. "And you're one of them, you dork." Orion held his hand out, and Eleanor grabbed his finger and shook it. "Now, let's go and set things right." Orion nodded, frowning as he stood up.

"Indeed... Be careful, Eleanor."

"You too, Orion." Eleanor replied as they faced the portal. "You seem to have a problem with this little thing we humans call _self-preservation_... FYI: if you die, I will kill you."

"That... Doesn't make sense." Orion told her, confused. Eleanor rolled her eyes, grinning.

"It's an expression." She explained, looking up at him. Orion sighed, rolling his optics and smiling lightly.

"Of course, it is..."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Deep within a cave, Megatron stood before an active space-bridge, smirking as he readied his blade. All around him were colorful Cybertronians laying injured on the cave floor.

"Come, Arcee, so that I may end the lineage of the Primes for all time." The warlord mocked, like he had already won. He didn't notice the ground-bridge opening behind him...

"I cannot allow that to happen, Megatron." Orion Pax spoke, his optics narrowed as he looked up at the Decepticon leader. Eleanor Martin stood next to him, holding her gun ready. She flipped a switch, and the end of the gun began glowing a strange green color to show it was active.

"And why should you care, Orion Pax?" Megatron asked, turning to face the clerk. "You are no Prime."

"That may be true, or yet another deception." Orion looked down, then back at his old friend. "But this much, I do know: my sympathies lie with the Autobots." Orion raised his servos, activating a set of wicked-sharp blades. One appeared to have been broken in battle... "And you are not one of us."

Orion threw his servos down to his sides, yelling as he charged and swung a blade at the Decepticon. Megatron suddenly caught the blade and lifted Orion up, delivering a devestatubg punch that sent Orion falling onto his hands and knees. The clerk tried to get up, but a swift elbow to the shoulders from Megatron left Orion down for the count.

"Orion!" Eleanor shouted, her eyes widening. Megatron sighed, shaking his helm, not noticing the human lowering her gun and running up to the fallen clerk. She placed her hand on one of his servos, her eyes wide as she looked up and met his optics. "Come on, get up! You've gotta move, now!"

"Your spark may be in the right place, Orion - but you have much to learn before you can ever again stand your ground against me." Megatron announced, raising his blade. "A moment, sadly, which shall never come." Eleanor's eyes narrowed as she ran around Orion's body to stand between Megatron and the clerk, and she aimed her gun at the Decepticon.

"Over my dead body!" Eleanor snapped, only for a motorcycle to suddenly drive out of the space-bridge and transform into a blue, female Cybertronian. The blue robot, presumably Arcee, yelled as she lunged, shoved Megatron in the back, and sent the leader of the Decepticons flying.

"Eleanor, are you alright?" Orion asked worriedly, and Eleanor looked up at him and nodded, frowning as she watched him struggle just to get back on one knee. It was then that the two noticed a figure dressed in astronaut equipment, a teenage boy with black hair. He held up some sort of keycard, and Orion blinked in surprise. "Are you... Certain I am worthy?"

"You have no idea." The boy assured, frowning. Orion looked like he didn't know what to think...

"I'll buy you some time." Eleanor nodded, smiling as she held up her gun and turned away. "See you on the other side, Pax." Orion suddenly reached out and gently grabbed her left arm between his index-finger and thumb, and she blinked before looking back at him. "Orion?"

"... I am afraid." He admitted quietly. "Of who I may be, 'on the other side'." Eleanor gazed at him for a moment, then she gave a small grin.

"Don't worry." She told him. "Whatever happens... I'm with you to the end of the line, Orion." Orion blinked, then he released her arm.

"Be safe, Eleanor."

"Nah." Eleanor shook her head, smiling deviously as she turned away again. "I'm taking a page out of your book... Self-preservation is for chumps."

Eleanor ran towards Megatron and the Arcee while Orion faced the boy. A light left the object in the boy's hand, and Orion blinked as it entered his chest.

Why was he starting to have a hard time remembering Eleanor?

Wait...

Who was Eleanor?

* * *

Eleanor ran over to where Megatron had pinned Arcee to the wall, her blue eyes narrowed.

"Hey, Megs!" She shouted, and he looked down at her in annoyance. "Sorry, about earlier - I didn't mean to push your buttons! I was just looking for the 'mute'!"

"Why, you-!" Megatron tried to step on the young woman, but she moved out of the way. Eleanor took a deep breath, then braced herself to do something stupid.

"I stole this!" Eleanor looked up at Arcee, holding up the gun. "But for all I know, it could be an alien funfetti dispenser! Should I shoot him with it?!"

"Y-yes!"

"Alrighty! Funfetti it is!" Eleanor decided, aiming the gun at Megatron. "Surprise!" Eleanor fired, and a green beam shot out and struck Megatron's chest, sending him stumbling back and hissing in pain as he looked down at a scorch-mark on his armor. Arcee fell down into a crouch, her optics narrowed, and Eleanor smirked as she reached up and pushed the bridge of her glasses up her nose. "Yeah, it's official - I'm keeping this thing."

"Stay back." Arcee warned the human, standing up. "It's too dangerous." Eleanor rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, you sound like Orion..." She commented, annoyed, and Arcee looked back at her in surprise. Then, Arcee looked forward to see Megatron's cannon aimed at her face.

"Now, if you please - the Matrix!" He snapped, then he blinked as he noticed Orion and the boy in the spacesuit out of the corner of his optic. Megatron blinked, then quickly knocked Arcee down and started running towards the two. Eleanor raised her gun and fired again, and Megatron winced as the blast struck his shoulder but kept running.

"Orion, look out!" Eleanor exclaimed worriedly while Arcee recovered behind her. A red and white mech jumped between Megatron and Orion, but Megatron batted him aside and swung his blade-

"Megatron!" Optimus Prime caught the blade and looked up, glaring as a battle-mask slid into place over a majority of his face but left his optics exposed. Eleanor idly decided that her earlier reference to _Captain America: the Winter Soldier_ was appropriate, after all... "Begone!" Optimus suddenly punched Megatron and set him flying, and Eleanor grinned and did an excited fist-pump as she watched the red and blue mech begin to pummel the Decepticon warlord.

"Yes!" She crowed, then she blinked as Arcee suddenly picked her up. "Whoa! Stranger-danger! Bad touch!" Arcee rolled her optics and ran towards her allies as they began to recover.

"Who's that?" A large, green one asked in confusion. Arcee shrugged, shoving Eleanor into his servos.

"Don't know, but we can't leave her." She said, her optics narrowing. "I'm going to get Jack. Don't lose her." Arcee ran off, and Eleanor blinked before looking up at the green mech.

"Uh... Do you know what just happened?"

"Err... No?"

"Good. It's not just me." Eleanor replied, shrugging and grinning, then the green mech carried her over to stand behind Optimus with the others as they all raised a weapon. "So cool..!"

"Ratchet, how did we arrive here?" Optimus asked, and Eleanor blinked in surprise before frowning. The red and white mech was the one who replied.

"It is a long story, Optimus." He answered, and the Autobots began firing as Megatron started to recover. A portal opened, and Arcee looked at it.

"It's ours!"

"Autobots, fall back!" Optimus ordered, his optics narrowed. Arcee grabbed the boy, Jack, and leapt through first. Next was the yellow mech, then the red and white one, and then Eleanor shouted in surprise as the green mech leapt through with her.

"This time, he's coming with us!" The massive robot declared, and then they were gone. Eleanor looked up, squinting because of the bright light, and her eyes found the green mech.

"W-what about Orion?!"

"Optimus will follow us! Just hold on!" The green mech advised, and they suddenly came to a new place. Eleanor blinked, surprised, as the green mech set her down and she followed him into a large room.

"Whoa..." Eleanor looked around, stunned. The whole place had been carved out of stone, and there were large monitors and yellow staircases to aid human access in a place that was designed for titans. Those stairs told her one thing: this was a place where humans were welcome.

Eleanor placed her gun in her satchel before gripping the strap, and she noticed a woman running forward to hug Jack. She had to be his mother... There was also a young girl, a little boy, and a man in a suit there, and Eleanor immediately felt more comfortable than not. These Autobots, they really were safe to be around...

Unless Megatron was serious about the whole "child abduction" thing.

But he probably wasn't.

... Right?"

Eleanor stepped to the side, her eyes wide as Optimus exited the portal and the white and red mech shut it down. She gripped her satchel tighter, frowning as he looked around, then his gaze settled on the other humans.

"Optimus?" The little boy asked, sounding worried. Optimus blinked, then he gave a small smile.

"Hello, Rafael."

"The big guy remembers us!" The girl cheered excitedly. "Whoo-hoo!" Eleanor found herself smiling despite herself as she watched the scene.

"Although, it would seem that there is much that I do not remember." Orion frowned, raising a servo to one of his Decepticon emblems. The red and white mech stepped forward.

"Optimus, it has truly been our darkest hour." He admitted, frowning at the taller mech. "But know this... From every indication, your spark never ceased being that of an Autobot."

"... I can testify to that." Eleanor finally spoke up, and everyone blinked before looking over at her as she waved. "Hey." Smooth.

"What?" The red and white mech asked, confused. "Who are you?"

"Let me check something, first." Eleanor waved him off, her eyes going to Optimus. "... Do you know who I am?" Optimus blinked, then frowned.

"I'm afraid I do not, Miss..?"

"Uh, I..." Eleanor frowned, her heart sinking. Her earlier _Captain America: the Winter Soldier_ reference was suddenly VERY appropriate... "I'm Eleanor Martin." The young boy's eyes widened as he ran over to the woman.

"You're Eleanor Martin?" He asked, awed, then he grinned. "You are, like, the coolest! You cracked the Fastis Killer's code, running on nothing but-!"

"Microwaved-popcorn, hot cocoa, apples, and the occasional _Little Caesar's_ pepperoni pizza." Eleanor smiled lightly as she got down on one knee and looked at the boy. "Just because I got bored and wanted a challenge. Though, gotta admit - eating like that was pretty unhealthy... You a fan?"

"Uh-huh! I'm working on a report about you for my history class!"

"Oh, boy." Eleanor blinked, surprised, then she grinned deviously. "Want an interview? Bet it'll throw your teacher through a loop."

"Yeah! That would be amazing!" The boy beamed, then he gave a sheepish smile. "M-my name's Rafael Esquivel, but most people just call me _Raf_."

"Raf, it is." Eleanor grinned as she reached up and tousled his hair. The red and white robot watched this, and then he blinked.

"Rafael has mentioned you. You're the skilled human codebreaker." He announced, and Eleanor looked up at him. "Why were you in that cave?"

"'Cause the spaceship freaked me out."

"Spaceship?" Jack asked, then his eyes widened. "The _Nemesis_?"

"That'd be it." Eleanor agreed, nodding. "The _Decepticreeps_ had me up there for days."

"They've never been known to take humans with no connection to our ranks." The red and white frowned as Optimus' optics narrowed. "Why were the Decepticons holding you captive, Miss Martin?"

"Well... They wanted to speed up the decoding process for some database." Eleanor replied, and everyone blinked. "I guess that Orion wasn't fast enough for them, so they sorta kidnapped me and told me that you guys hid these dangerous artifacts all around the world. Luckily for me..." Eleanor gave a light smirk as she rolled up her sleeve and revealed some Cybertronian writing scrawled in black _Sharpie_. "I am super paranoid."

"Coordinates." The red and white robot's optics widened in disbelief. "You recorded your findings?"

"... Our findings." Eleanor corrected, frowning. "It wasn't just me, up there... I would never have escaped if Orion hadn't manned-up and gotten us out." Optimus blinked, looking down at the young woman in surprise. The man in the suit walked over to her, frowning slightly.

"Well, now we have to decide what to do with you." He stated, and she blinked. "Miss Martin, you've stumbled upon one of the largest government secrets ever kept and there is a matter of your safety - and your silence."

"But-"

"I'm going to have to ask you to come with me." The man announced, grabbing her wrist. Eleanor blinked, then sighed and nodded.

"Alright, alright. No need to be aggressive, I'll come quietly."

"Agent Fowler." Optimus spoke up, stepping forward. "It is obvious that Miss Martin has proven herself to be an ally, and of use to us. Perhaps it would be for the best if she remained here. If we manage to get the rest of the Iacon Database from the Decepticons, she would be an invaluable asset."

"Huh?" Eleanor looked up at the Autobot leader, surprised. The man looked up at Optimus as well, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"She just said that you can do it, Prime. You may not be quick enough for the 'Cons, but-"

"If I am understanding events as I believe I am, it was not I on that ship." Optimus corrected, and everyone blinked. "It was Orion Pax... Orion Pax could easily do what you have asked of me, but it has been many millennia since I have done anything like what Miss Martin and he have accomplished. I will need her assistance."

"... Fine." The man released Eleanor, and she just looked around sheepishly as she rubbed her wrist. "But the same rules apply to her as they do to the kids. You're responsible for her safety, Prime, and for whatever she does now that she knows you exist."

"Understood."

"Uh..." Eleanor looked at the only other adult woman in the room. "I can genuinely say that I haven't been this confused since I saw Loki's hip-restraints in _Thor: The Dark World_. I think I need an adult."

"You are an adult." Jack noted, frowning. Eleanor looked at him with an awkward grin.

"I need a better adult." She rephrased her statement, and the teenage girl began snickering. "So... Someone mind giving me a quick summary?"

* * *

Eleanor blinked, sitting alone on a couch while all of the humans and most of the Autobots looked at her expectantly.

"... Okay." She finally said, sitting back. The one she now knew to be called Bulkhead raised an optic-brow.

"Uh... Okay?"

"Okay." Eleanor shrugged, frowning. "I believe you." The woman - June Darby, Jack's mother - crossed her arms, frowning.

"That easily?"

"Yup." Eleanor replied, crossing her arms. "That easily, mostly because a lot of it lines up with what Orion told me and what I made Megatron tell us." The man - Special Agent William Fowler of Unit E - frowned at that.

"You made Megatron tell you something?"

"Yeah." Eleanor answered, then she blinked before raising a mouth to her hand to stifle a snicker. "Oh, geez! I never did decode those two encryptions like he told me to! That's great!"

"Hm?" Ratchet asked, looking away from the coordinates he had copied from Eleanor's arm. Eleanor pointed to the screen, smiling deviously.

"Orion and I decrypted those, but then I deleted the results from the Decepticon files and re-encrypted them with all of my little tricks. It'll be much harder to figure them out, this time around."

"Little tricks?" Raf asked, intrigued. Eleanor looked at him, grinning.

"Multiply by three, subtract five, switch out for the alphabetical equivalent in Cybertronian, apply Caesar's encryption formula, and then apply the Fastis Killer formula to that."

"... That's awesome!" Raf beamed, and Eleanor chuckled as he moved over to sit next to her. "You've gotta teach me how to do what you do!" Eleanor sat up straight and looked down at him, smiling.

"Count on it, kiddo."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Agent Fowler made some calls, and he arranged for Eleanor to stay in a small house just outside of Jasper. All of her things and her truck would be moved from her house in Alaska to that residence, but she would have to go without for a few days. Eleanor thanked him, and then - to everyone's surprise - Optimus offered to drive her to her new home.

The drive was quiet. Eleanor sat in the shotgun-seat of Optimus' vehicle-mode with her head hung and a frown on her face, and he didn't say a word. Finally, they arrived at the house and Eleanor hopped out, and she gripped her satchel's strap tightly as she walked towards the house.

It possessed two stories and was made of grey stone, with an attached garage with a grey door. The door to the house was grey too, and there were windows with white blinds on the inside. There were no other houses around or even grass, just stone and sand and desert plants with mountains and mesas in the distance. Eleanor blinked, then she sighed quietly, gripping the strap tighter so that her knuckles turned white.

"Oh, I miss Alaska already..."

"Is something wrong?" Optimus asked, sounding concerned. The young woman blinked, then looked back at the truck.

"No... Thanks." Eleanor answered, frowning. "Um... Just to ask-"

"I truly do not remember what occurred on the Decepticon warship." Optimus answered her question before she could even ask it. The young woman blinked again, then looked down. "Does this trouble you?"

"Well... Yeah." Eleanor admitted, looking back at him. "I mean... Orion and I, we were friends."

"I apologize if this situation has caused you emotional anguish, Miss Martin. I truly wish I could remember you." Optimus told her, and she sighed, closing her eyes and hanging her head. "My words to Agent Fowler were for your sake. I did not wish to see you in custody... It is possible that you could 'slip away in the night', should you not wish to stay here. I am certain that someone of your skills could find a way to disappear."

"... I said I would help you crack the Iacon Database, and I will." Eleanor looked up, frowning. "For Orion... I told him I was with him to the end of the line, after all - and as cheesy and overused as that stupid _Winter Soldier_ line is, I'm no liar."

With that, she turned and walked over to the door, opening it, entering her new home, and closing it. Optimus remained in the driveway for a moment, then pulled out into the road, turned, and drove off.

* * *

Eleanor sighed and leaned against the front door of her new home, sliding down and sitting on the floor. She noted that the walls were a soft blue color while the floor of her entry-room was wood, and there was a door to her immediate right, a hallway to her front-right that led into what appeared to be the kitchen with grey tile and likely the rest of the house, a staircase to her front-left that was covered in grey carpet and led upstairs, and a white door to her immediate left.

Eleanor stood up and went to her right first, and she found an empty shoe-closet. She went down the hallway next and saw the small kitchen complete with a sink, oven/stove hybrid, refrigerator, microwave, and white cabinets with a grey countertop - she had not been provided with cutlery or anything else a kitchen needed, though. She turned left and found a dining-room with a hardwood floor, and beyond that was what could be a small living-room with more grey carpet. In the dining-room, there was a sliding-glass door and Eleanor could see her "backyard", i.e. the entire desert. She also found a small door by the kitchen that led to the laundry-room, which thankfully had both a washer and dryer - soap, too!

Eleanor frowned as she turned around and went out into the front foyer, and she went to the door that had been on her left. Eleanor opened the door and blinked, surprised, then she gave a small smile. It was an office, but better than that: it was a library. There was a lovely wooden floor and wooden shelves that had a built-in desk and a chair that the previous owner must have left behind, along with a large front-window to allow in natural light. This would do...

Eleanor went upstairs next and found three bedrooms, including the master-bedroom - all painted that same pale-blue color. She entered the master-bedroom and sighed, seeing a green sleeping-bag and a flashlight on the floor.

"Thanks, Fowler." She mocked quietly, walking over and sitting down on the bag. "Much appreciated." She removed her satchel, shoes, and coat, then sighed and laid down, staring at the ceiling for a few minutes. "... Yeah, I can't do this." Eleanor stood and grabbed her satchel, leaving her room and running down the stairs.

Eleanor ducked into her new office and sat down on the chair, setting her satchel down on the desk and pulling out a pen and a journal that looked fairly new. She opened the journal and flipped through a few pages before finding a blank one, then she paused. What to write, what to write...

Eleanor blinked, then frowned and pressed her pen to the paper.

...

 _Dear Orion,_

 _It's me, Eleanor Marie Martin, and I'm writing to you because I miss you. I don't know where you are now, but you aren't here - Optimus Prime is in your place, and he doesn't know me and I don't know him. When you became him again, you forgot me and you changed._

 _It's strange. He's got your face, your voice, and your body, but they're just not yours anymore. He can look like you and talk like you, but it's obvious that he isn't you. He's too stiff, too... Different. He doesn't have your innocence or light, and I have yet to see him smile. You liked to smile, and I even got you to laugh._

 _I don't know why I'm writing to you. You're gone, after all - the older you has taken your place and wiped you out. As I knew you, you're as good as dead... But you're still the only one I feel comfortable talking to. We understood each other in this strange world we were both thrown into so suddenly, and I really need that right now._

 _The world really is so different, now. I'm not allowed to return to Alaska, I must make my life here in Jasper, Nevada, now - as a member of Optimus Prime's team, or at least the human half. I'm only being kept around to serve a specific purpose, if I leave I'll be a fugitive and staying makes me nothing but a tool. I don't know these Autobots or their human allies, and that really scares the Hell out of me. I don't know who I can trust or what's going to happen to me._

 _I just know that I miss you, Orion. I wish you were here with me... But don't worry. Even though, as I knew you, you really are gone, I have no intention of breaking my promise. I'll stick with this Optimus Prime, and I'll do everything in my power to help him._

 _It'll just take some time for me to get used to things. After all, right now, it's like he murdered you right in front of me and took your place. I don't think I can ever forgive him, for that._

 _Lots of love, my friend. I hope to see you again, someday._

 _Goodbye, for now._

 _Eleanor._

 _..._

Eleanor set her pen down. She didn't know why, but she felt a little better, now...

"Time for bed." Eleanor sighed, closing her journal. She slid it and her pen back into her bag, and she slung it ober he shoulder and made her way back upstairs and into her room. She set her satchel down and laid down on top of the sleeping bag, closing her eyes and slowly drifting off into a dreamless oblivion.

* * *

 ** _I know there will be some who will be mad at me for letting Optimus forget Eleanor, but I can't help but examine how she reacted to it._**

 ** _There were no tears, just disappointment and a bit of sadness. She didn't know Orion well - but for a few days, he was her whole world. Now, he's back in his rightful place as Optimus Prime and she's just... There, waiting until these strangers might have a use for her. She writes a letter to him because she wants someone to talk to about how she's really feeling, yet she's not kidding herself. She misses her friend, but he's gone._**

 ** _At least, that's what she thinks._** ** _Optimus Prime may not remember Eleanor Marie Martin..._**

 ** _But he still looked out for her._**

 ** _I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	4. Starting Over

Eleanor laid on a couch in Autobot Outpost Omega One, humming softly as she looked up at the ceiling.

"Okay..." Miko Nakadai, the excitable girl from the night Eleanor first came into the base, smirked deviously at her as she looked up from a notebook. "I've gotcha now... _Spexarmullie_!"

"Expelliarmus." Eleanor replied, and Miko groaned and sat back. "I'm a nerd, Miko - using fandom stuff won't trump me."

"You're not even looking at the letters! How can you decode verbal stuff?!"

"I'm above the age of seven?"

"Seven year-olds can't do this stuff!"

"Oh, I wonder what it must be like in your funny little brains." Eleanor chuckled lightly as Miko began writing a new word out and switching the letters around, feeling like she was in an episode of _Sherlock_. "It must be so boring."

" _And then, I did a looptie-loop!_ " A yellow Autobot, Bumblebee, was telling Raf, Bulkhead, Jack, and Arcee a short distance away from Miko and Eleanor. " _Grabbing the Spark Extractor and surprising the frag out of King 'Con!_ "

"You have some brass bearings, Bumblebee." Bulkhead chuckled lightly. Eleanor sighed, closing her eyes and frowning.

She hadn't revealed that she could understand Bumblebee yet, mostly because she didn't want to intrude on something she considered more important. Raf said that he and Bumblebee had a special bond because of Raf's ability to understand, after all - and she didn't want to take that away from him.

"Optimus." Ratchet spoke up, pointing to a screen. "Here. The source of the ancient frequency we detected."

"An Iacon homing beacon." Optimus noted, and Eleanor opened her eyes and blinked before standing and walking over to the two. Her eyes fell on the device, and they widened.

"The Spark Extractor." She realized, stunned. "The 'Cons must have broken through my code faster than I thought they would."

"Hm." Optimus looked up at her, frowning. "Do not blame yourself, Eleanor. Soundwave is quite skilled in codebreaking as well, on par with me. Your extra encryptions bought us time, though - and for that, we are grateful." Eleanor blinked, then looked down.

"Whatever you say, boss."

"What is an Autobot homing signal doing on that?" Arcee asked, walking over. Optimus turned his gaze to her.

"The Class-A Decepticon weapons confiscated during the war were sealed within the vaults below Iacon."

"Where you once worked as an archivist?" Bulkhead asked, frowning. Eleanor rolled her eyes.

"I think we've got that much down."

"Iacon was both a cultural center and a stronghold, which Megatron raided while Autobot troops were at their nadir."

" _Nadir_?" Miko asked Eleanor quietly, as she had joined the codebreaker. Eleanor rolled her eyes.

"The walking dictionary said that the 'Bots were getting their asses kicked, so Megatron robbed their library."

"Ah." Miko nodded, placing her hands on her hips. "It's official. You're Optimus' translator."

"It stands to reason that, in anticipation of Iacon being overrun by enemy forces, these weapons were jettisoned." Optimus continued his explanation grimly. Ratchet nodded in agreement.

"Clearly, the beacon was added as a safety-measure should the weapon's ever be found by the undesired party."

"Well..." Bulkhead chuckled, nudging Bumblebee. "Thanks to our hot-shot stunt-driver, this one's going in our vault."

"Do you think this is the only intel you supplied to Megatron?" Arcee asked Optimus, worried. Optimus sighed, shaking his helm.

"Arcee, you are right to ask, but I am afraid I do not remember." He replied, then he looked over at Eleanor. "Miss Martin?"

"... There was one other set of coordinates that we decrypted and I re-encrypted." She answered, frowning. "Those two were the ones I copied... The rest went untouched." Optimus nodded, his expresssion forlorn.

"Thank you, Miss Martin."

"Optimus." Ratchet protested and Optimus looked over at him. "Megatron clearly took advantage of your amnesia. Do not blame yourself for any of this... Miss Martin speaks in your favor. Megatron likely spoke otherwise in order to plague your thoughts."

"... Yeah." Eleanor agreed, and Optimus looked at her. "You... You don't remember, but Orion stood up to Megatron." Optimus blinked, surprised. "When Megatron refused to tell him the truth, Orion fought back and refused to help him." Eleanor looked down, giving a small smirk. "There were a few times where I thought that idiot was going to get himself killed, but he was fortunately much luckier than he was stupid."

"Mind your phrasing." Ratchet's optics narrowed. Eleanor raised an eyebrow, confused.

"What? That dumbass had no idea how to fight, and he charged straight at Megatron. You'd think that, for the brainiac he was, he would have at least attempted to strategize first."

"Yeah..." Jack frowned as he walked over and leaned on the railing. "You have been a bit reckless recently, Optimus, even though your spark's in the right place. Maybe your Orion Pax was showing, even before you faced Unicron."

"I never had that bit explained to me." Eleanor looked over at Jack with a frown. "What all went down?"

"Well... Unicorn, this massive evil Cybertronian, is at the core of our planet." Jack explained, frowning. "Megatron wanted to use his power to beat the 'Bots, but Unicron decided he'd rather do things his way. He went after Optimus, and Optimus refused backup and faced all of these stone copies of Unicron alone until he got overwhelmed. The others went after him, but Optimus still wouldn't have made it if Megatron hadn't shown up." Eleanor raised an eyebrow. "Megatron said he'd lead the 'Bots to Unicron's spark, so they went to the core of the planet so that Optimus could face Unicron head-on and Optimus ended up losing the Matrix of Leadership and his memories - which lead to all of this."

"So... For all the wise and good-actions/good-consequences stuff this guy tries to pile on, he's still a total "Orion Pax'-level dumbass who trusted Robot-Hitler AND soloed Robot-Satan twice in a twenty-four hour period?" Eleanor asked, giving a small smirk. The Autobots all visibly cringed as Optimus raised an optic-brow.

"I can't lie to you, Eleanor... It was only a eight-hour period." Jack sighed quietly. Eleanor blinked, then she snorted and started laughing. "Hey, hey! Don't-!"

"That is freakin' awesome!" Eleanor laughed as she leaned on the railing. " _Optimus is all-wise and powerful! Optimus can do no wrong! Optimus would never charge headfirst into battle alo- Oh, no! There he goes, again!_ " Miko started laughing and even Raf giggled, while Jack did his best not to grin. Bulkhead and Bumblebee were grinning while Arcee was gazing at the ceiling with an expression that clearly read _Primus, give me strength_. Ratchet just looked annoyed.

"Miss Martin, if you could please show some decorum. Optimus is our leader, after all."

"Hey, everyone has flaws and it's best that they be accepted in order to improve." Eleanor shrugged shamelessly. "I have a rubbish taste in men and food, you're the crankiest thing on God's green Earth, and Boss-'Bot is a freakin' kamikaze." Miko laughed so hard she actually fell over and curled up on the floor, and Eleanor chuckled. "I like that one."

" _Kamikaze_?" Ratchet asked, confused, and he typed the term into his monitor. He blinked at the results, then deadpanned. "Well, that's insanely accurate..." Optimus looked over at Ratchet questioningly, and Ratchet waved it off. "I respect you completely, Optimus - but as your oldest friend, I must say this is spot-on."

"Score one for the human codebreaker!" Eleanor smirked at Optimus. Raf looked at her.

"What you said, a-about accepting flaws in order to improve..."

"My uncle says that sort of stuff." Eleanor replied, smiling. "And I've improved one of my flaws by swearing off it all together." Raf blinked, surprised.

"You've gone on a diet?"

"Uh... No. Why, does it look like I have to-?"

"N-no!"

"Well, there you go." Eleanor grinned, shrugging. "In the words of Meg from Disney's _Hercules_ , 'I've sworn off man-handling'."

"Awesome!" Miko grinned at Eleanor. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"No offense, kid - but when you're a woman and you get to be my age, you realize that all of the good ones... Don't exist."

"Aren't you only twenty-three?"

"Yep." Eleanor chuckled, and Jack blinked before sighing. "No reply? Wise."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Bumblebee and Bulkhead were on patrol later that day and Arcee was training, leaving the humans to their own devices. The three children had taken it upon themselves to try and sway Eleanor, since they had decided amongst themselves that she couldn't go on being at-odds with Optimus because of her missing Orion. They decided that the best way to do it would be to tell their favorite Optimus stories.

"Okay, so there was this one time where Jack and I were on a speeding train because we were trying to stop these bad guys called _MECH_ from getting this really dangerous thing called the _D.N.G.S._ that could have blown up half of the country." Miko began excitedly, and Eleanor raised an eyebrow. The kids were sitting on the couch while she sat on a chair. "We kept MECH from getting away, but they damaged the train and blew the tracks so that the train would crash and the D.N.G.S would melt-down with Jack and I standing next to it. Suddenly, Optimus drives in out of nowhere before transforming and running to the front of the train. He grabbed the train, drove his feet into the ground, and stopped it with pure robot-muscle!"

"So... Idiot move." Eleanor decided, her right eyebrow twitching. Raf decided to go next.

"The day before Optimus lost his memories, Bumblebee and I went out to drive my remote-control car." He told her, and Eleanor crossed her arms. "Megatron suddenly flew out of nowhere and shot 'Bee, and I got exposed to Dark Energon."

"... You guys said that Energon is poisonous to humans." Eleanor sat up, frowning. "And that the dark stuff makes zombies." Raf nodded, his expression forlorn.

"The other 'Bots told me what happened, next. Optimus went on a total rampage, practically tearing the _Nemesis_ apart until he found Megatron... He nearly died, all because I got hurt and he didn't want Megatron to get away with it."

"Oh." Eleanor frowned, then she looked away. Jack could see that _that_ had swayed her, so whatever story he told had to be good...

"This story isn't about me and Optimus." Jack spoke, and Eleanor looked up at him. "It's about Arcee and Optimus. Arcee told me about it, after it happened... They were up in the Arctic, exploring after they'd found this massive pod. We didn't know it at the time, but that pod held hundreds of Scraplets: Cybertronian creatures that eat metal."

"Think flying, metal-chomping piranhas." Miko explained, frowning. Eleanor blinked, then looked back at Jack.

"What happened?"

"The comms and ground-bridge were down, stranding Arcee and Optimus in the Arctic." Jack continued, looking down. "A storm rolled in, and they began to freeze. Optimus made sure that he and Arcee got to shelter, and they just sort of... Waited." He looked up at Eleanor. "Waited to be rescued, waited to die... Arcee sort of accepted the latter, but Optimus never stopped trying to keep her spirits up and hope they would be rescued in time. They stayed awake and talked, and he practically carried her the last stretch when the ground-bridge finally opened." He gave a small smile. "He was dying... But the only thing he cared about was getting her home alive, if he could. And if he couldn't, he said he'd be proud to die with her."

"... A lot of these stories have to do with life or death, don't they?" Eleanor asked quietly. "You kids and these 'bots, always getting into trouble. What is Optimus, your _Hail Mary_?"

"He's our leader." Miko corrected, grinning. Raf nodded, smiling.

"Our guardian."

"... Our friend." Jack finished, and Eleanor looked back at him. "I know this is hard for you, Eleanor... But thank you, for making sure he came back to us." Eleanor gazed at Jack, silent, and the boy smiled again. "He's not a bad guy, once you get to know him. He's just got a lot on his shoulders... We don't exactly make it easy for him."

"Hm." Eleanor hummed looking away. Her eyes fell on the leader of the Autobots, and she sighed. "That so?"

"... He once offered to bring a snowball back from a life-or-death situation, just for me." Raf told her, and Eleanor blinked before looking back again. "It was the time when he and Arcee almost froze to death. He felt so guilty about being too weak to bring one back for me afterwards that, three days later, he went back to the Arctic just to get one." Eleanor blinked again, then she cracked a small smile.

"Oh?"

"Ooh!" Miko sat up, grinning. "Once, Ratchet gave Optimus specific orders not to do a thing - and Optimus did the thing and ended up getting Cybonic Plague! Scared us all to death, but Bumblebee managed to get the cure. Some weird stuff happened after that, but Ratchet has NEVER let Optimus live it down - if the boss so much as coughs, Ratchet makes him undergo a full medical examination!" Eleanor snorted with laughter at that, smiling.

"Oh, and there was this one time when they were fighting at the North Pole - Arcee tells me that Optimus ran straight though a laser being projected by a diamond lense. He didn't even bother dodging." Jack grinned, and Eleanor raised a hand to her mouth in an attempt to hide her smile. "Then, the Autobots (and Raf, he was there too) ended up getting stranded up there - so Miko and I had to break into the base to bridge them back. It was great."

"Tch." Eleanor gave a small, amused scoff, grinning as her eyes went back to Optimus. "What a goofball..."

* * *

Eleanor went and leaned on the railing to think afterward the stories had ended, the young woman watching as Optimus made his rounds. He checked the vaults, he checked on Arcee in the training-room, he checked on Ratchet at his monitor, he checked in with Bumblebee and Bulkhead over the comms, and she caught him glancing at the human children as he passed them to make sure that everything was okay.

"Hm." Eleanor hummed, amused, and Jack walked over to her. "You know, he's not Orion - but he may not be so bad. I can tell that, in your group, he's like your dad. The big, badass dad who will tear the face off of anyone who tries to mess with his children."

"Heh." Jack gave a light grin. "Now, you're getting it. That's Optimus, for you." Jack looked over at the Prime as he went to a monitor to watch Bumblebee and Bulkhead's moving signals. "He also doesn't laugh, or party. He just smiles, but only on special occasions… Despite him being a _kamikaze_ , he's gotta be the most reserved guy I know." Eleanor blinked, then gave a light smirk.

"Bet I can do something about that." She announced, and Jack blinked. "I'm the world's greatest codebreaker. It's my job to solve the problem and figure out how to do what I'm not supposed to do. You say Optimus Prime doesn't laugh? Well... My boy Orion begs to differ. I've just gotta decode Prime to find Pax."

"Uh... You really think you can do it?"

"Yeah. I mean, underneath all of that macho-stuff, he's still got to be at least a little bit Orion. And Orion was a nerd, like me - so to take advantage of those buried qualities in Optimus, you've gotta tell a nerdy joke."

"Wait, what?" Jack asked, frowning. Eleanor walked over to Miko, smirking.

"Film this." She advised, winking. "The others'll want to see it."

"Uh... Okay." Miko replied as she drew her phone and began filming. Eleanor walked over to the monitor where Optimus was working on something since Ratchet had taken a break, folding her hands behind her back and smirking.

"What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question?" She asked, and Optimus paused, briefly looking at her before going back to work. "Why can't you trust atoms? Well, that's simple: they make up everything." Jack could have sworn he saw the side of Optimus' mouth twitch up. "Why did the bear dissolve in water? It was polar."

"What is she doing?" Raf asked, he and Miko walking over. Jack slowly shook his head.

"I think... She's getting Optimus to think that something is funny."

"Parallel lines have so much in common." Eleanor leaned on the railing, sighing and looking up at the ceiling. "It's a shame they'll never meet."

"Miss Martin, what is the point of this?" Optimus asked, sounding a little exasperated. Eleanor gave a light grin, shrugging.

"Amusing myself while waiting for you guys to get that Iacon database."

"The more you involve yourself in our efforts, Miss Martin, the more danger you place yourself in."

"But the only reason why I'm here is because you told Agent Fowler that I could help you. You wouldn't want to be lying to him, now would you?"

"She is fearless." Miko blinked, then she grinned. "I like her!"

"... You hear about that scientist who reached absolute zero?" Eleanor smiled deviously. "He's 0K." Raf let out a snort of laughter while Miko and Jack raised eyebrows, confused. Optimus seemed a bit irked.

"Miss Martin..."

"Okay, okay - last one." Eleanor held her hands up in surrender, rolling her eyes and grinning. "What do you get when you cross a cow with an octopus?"

"... What?" Optimus asked, raising an optic-brow. Eleanor looked back at him, pausing, then she gave a solid deadpan.

"A meeting with the ethics committee and the swift removal of your research funding."

All was silent for a long moment. Optimus was looking down at Eleanor with surprise, then he slowly smiled. Then, it looked like it was taking all of his willpower to not do something no one there had ever witnessed him do: laugh. Eleanor had been trying to keep up her deadpan, but seeing Optimus like that compelled her to raise her hands to her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

"No way." Miko gaped, staring at the scene, then she grinned. "Come on, come on, come on..."

"He's not gonna do it..." Jack murmured over and over, but even he was smiling. Raf was giggling in the wake of the joke.

"... You freakin' sicko." Eleanor managed, snickering, and that did it. Optimus and Eleanor both started laughing, and Ratchet - who had paused to take some Energon - nearly choked before looking over at the two in disbelief.

"Optimus?" He asked, stunned, and - just like that - Optimus recomposed himself as though nothing had happened. Eleanor was grinning in victory as she turned to look at the kids, who were still gazing at the woman in wonder.

"Success!" She cheered, and they began to clap. Optimus glanced down at the woman, then he sighed as she looked back at him.

"Miss Martin, please: show some decorum." He sounded almost-pleading. Miko decided to join in on the fun, and she cupped her hands around her mouth, winking at Eleanor before shouting-

"Teach me your ways, oh wise one!"

"No!" Optimus shouted quickly, looking over at Miko in alarm, then he froze before slowly looking back at Eleanor. The young woman was smirking, her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised, and he blinked. "I..."

"... You've got a cute laugh, Prime." Eleanor teased, winking, and Optimus' optics widened as she turned and walked off. Jack snorted and started laughing at the Prime's expression while Miko and Raf giggled, and Optimus shook his helm before going back to work.

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Bulkhead called for an emergency ground-bridge to bring himself and Bumblebee back. Apparently, Bumblebee had been hit with some sort of stun-blast and knocked out cold, and he wasn't able to transform when he woke up.

"You can fix 'Bee, can't you?" Raf asked worriedly. He, Miko, Jack, and Eleanor were watching with the Autobots as Ratchet scanned Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee was hit pretty hard." The medic answered, frowning. "The stun-blast may have fried his T-cog." Miko squinted at that.

"Is that like a T-bone?"

"Not exactly." Arcee replied, crossing her arms. Eleanor had observed that the femme tended to take things more in-stride than most, so she was looking forward to what Arcee had to say. "It's the organ that allows us to scan vehicles and transform."

"Nice." Eleanor grinned, nodding. "Evolution at its finest."

"By the Allspark." Ratchet looked up, his optics wide. "Bumblebee's T-cog isn't damaged, it's missing."

"But the Decepticons transform, too." Jack said quickly, looking around. "Why would they steal that?" Ratchet shook his helm.

"Megatron may be known to raise zombies, but he's no ghoul."

"If Megatron wasn't behind this, then who was?" Raf looked around, growing afraid. Bulkhead's optics narrowed.

"The ones who cannibalized Breakdown."

"And tried to gut me." Arcee added, her optics narrowing. Eleanor blinked, then her eyes widened.

"Uh-oh."

"MECH." Ratchet announced grimly. "And it would appear their knowledge of Cybertronian biotech has grown more sophisticated."

"But why would they want Bumblebee's part?" Raf asked, his eyes wide. Bumblebee finally snapped.

" _I don't care why they have it!_ " He buzzed frantically. " _We have to go and get it back before they damage it!_ "

"Bumblebee, please." Optimus tried, gazing at his scout forlornly. "You are not presently equipped to handle this."

" _I'm not useless without my wheels, Prime! I can do this!_ " Bumblebee tried, frustrated. " _You don't get it, I-I can't just sit back and be without a piece of me!_ "

"You're mistaken, my friend. I do know what it is like to lose a vital part of one's self." Optimus spoke quietly, and his optics briefly went to Eleanor before going back to Bumblebee. "And as a result, I know the value of putting one's faith in the strength of those around you... We vow to do everything in our power to make you whole, again."

"And if not, Ratchet can just make you a new... Cog-thing!" Miko smiled enthusiastically. "Right?"

" _UGH!_ " Bumblebee groaned, then he sat down and gripped the sides of his helm. " _Miko, you don't get it..._ " Miko blinked, surprised.

"What I say?"

"Miko, a T-cog is a biomechanism - not a scrapyard find." Ratchet scolded her. "If it were that easy, don't you think I would have replaced Bumblebee's voice-box by now?"

" _Oh, you had to go and bring that up..._ " Bumblebee commented dryly, then he looked down. "" _I'm losing parts like crazy. Just look at me, I'm falling apart - becoming more and more useless._ " Eleanor's face fell at that, the young woman looking away.

"You're not useless, 'Bee!" Raf protested, his eyes wide. Bumblebee sighed, waving him off.

" _Yeah. Sure._ "

"Alright, alright - I say that none of us transform until Bumblebee gets his cog back." Bulkhead announced firmly. Arcee looked uo at him, frowning.

"Your spark's in the right place, Bulkhead, but I don't think that now is the time to be limiting ourselves."

"Not with Megatron potentially seeking other doomsday devices." Optimus agreed with the femme. "And, I fear, not while MECH uses Bumblebee's T-cog for their own sinister purpose."

"... Okay, this is getting too heavy. You can't go out there and fight all mopey - but luckily, I think that I know how to cheer y'all up." Eleanor grinned sheepishly, then she looked over at Miko. "Miss Nakadai, if you would..?" Miko blinked, then her eyes widened before she smisled deviously.

"Right!" Miko threw Eleanor her cellphone, and Eleanor plugged the device into the largest monitor in the base. Optimus' right optic twitched and Ratchet deadpanned as Eleanor played the video Miko had taken of the Prime laughing earlier that day, and all the other Autobots' jaws dropped.

"That... Was legendary." Bulkhead announced, stunned. He slowly walked over held his servo out, and Eleanor grinned as she reached over and high-fived him. "Not bad, newbie."

"How..?" Arcee raised an optic-brow, unable to conceal a smile as Bumblebee snickered quietly, even in the dire circumstances. "How did you know how to do that?"

"Inside knowledge." Eleanor grinned, looking over at Optimus. "Orion Pax sends his regards." Optimus looked up and produced what most would consider a 'God'- err, 'Primus, give me strength' face. However, Eleanor had a feeling that he wasn't looking to the sky but to his own mind, and only thinking one word: _traitor_.

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

The next day, the Autobots went out on patrol to try and find Decepticon or MECH activity. Optimus uncharacteristically asked Eleanor to accompany him, and she sat in shotgun as he drove down a back-road.

"... I understand that you were trying to aid Bumblebee, but did you have to choose a method that was so-?"

"Humiliating? Embarrassing? Exposing? Revealing?" Eleanor offered him several words, still grinning. Optimus thought that each of them could have fit, but he only sighed. "Oh, come on - that was great. You're such a nerd, and you know it."

"Hm." Optimus hummed quietly. Given the evidence that she and (most alarmingly) Miko possessed, he could not really form an argument. "... You certainly are an odd little thing, Miss Martin."

"I take that as a complement." Eleanor teased, then she looked up with a frown. "So, what's the story with MECH? The kids mentioned a train and an exploding dingus, but that was about it."

"They are a group dedicated to the advancement of their own technological prowess in order to gain power on this world, and their leader Silas has recently set his sights on Cybertronian biotechnology. They have now attacked at least three Cybertronians: Breakdown of the Decepticons, and Arcee and Bumblebee. Arcee escaped unscathed, but Breakdown lost an optic and now Bumblebee has lost his T-cog."

"Wow. You guys just can't catch a break, can you?" Eleanor asked, frowning as she crossed her arms and sat back. "So... Was that all you wanted to talk about?"

"... What all did you and Orion Pax discuss on the _Nemesis_?"

"Worried that I have blackmail on you?"

"Miss Martin..."

"Alright, alright - calm down." Eleanor rolled her eyes. "Nothing big, okay? I told him some things about Earth history and culture, gave him a brief look at why I became a codebreaker, and he just talked about Cybertron and-" What she said next came out rather rapidly. "Kinda-sorta-maybe-told-me-your-life-story."

"Um... What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Miss Martin."

"Fine." Eleanor sighed, looking over at the steering-wheel. "Orion told me his life story, as far as he could remember." Optimus' wheels screeched as he came to a sudden stop, and Eleanor wheezed as the seat-belt pressed into her frame. "Hey, watch it!"

"By the Allspark, did he have no sense of privacy when meeting a stranger?" Optimus asked incredulously as he started driving again. Eleanor blinked, then she gave a small smirk.

"I totally don't know your parents' names, if that's what you're asking."

"I cannot believe I would have-"

"I also totally don't know about all the pranks you and Megatron used to pull on Alpha Trion."

"Did he tell you _everything_?!"

"Ooh. Optimus Prime's got some real skeletons in Orion Pax's closet... That's an expression, by the way."

"I know."

"He didn't." Eleanor stated smugly, and Optimus sighed. "Let me guess: he represents your awkward teenage phase, and you tried to block all of this out."

"Evidently, some secrets could not remain buried forever... You must have proven yourself quite trustworthy, if Orion was willing to open up to you on such a large scale."

"I threw a _Coke_ can at a creepy guy's head and set a strict bedtime for Orion when he tried to stay up late after I one-upped him in the codebreaking game. Obviously, I should have been trusted with the secrets of the universe."

"Hm." Optimus almost sounded amused, that time. "A long time ago, I possessed great naïvety. It pleases me to know that you did not take much advantage of it, as others did."

"Hey, you- err, Orion was the least-creepy guy in the joint. I wasn't gonna screw that up and end up chatting alone with King 'Con and his ridiculous fangs." Her expression fell. "... And Orion was kind to me. He did everything he could to protect me and make me feel safe, even though I just knew he didn't feel safe. He was scared, but he put me first." Eleanor looked back at the steering-wheel. "I'm told that that's a trait you retained." Optimus remained silent. "... Can you tell me about what happened to Orion Pax? To him, and to Megatron?" Silence fell again. "Can you tell me about the war?"

"There are some things that are indescribable."

"Try." Eleanor pleaded, frowning. "Orion was my friend, and I want to know what happened to him."

"... You know that I was a clerk at Iacon?"

"Yeah."

"Well... One day, I learned of a gladiator by the name of Megatronus who had amassed a large gathering and spoke of his desire to change Cybertron for the better - especially in terms of social-class. I began speaking with him, and he opened my eyes to the many problems that Cybertron faced. One day, we went together to Halogen and the High Council so that he could speak of his vision, but Megatronus changed. He demanded to be made a Prime, spoke of violence as an answer... I believed in a different way, and I suddenly found myself speaking up and gaining the attention of the highest authority on Cybertron."

"Let me guess: you realized what you had done and you were quivering in your boots."

"I did not know what had come over me, so I simply kept speaking. Megatronus stormed off, and he and his followers - the Decepticons - began to wage war on the rest of Cybertron. The citizens evacuated as battles began to be fought, and the planet underwent a great change. It had been poisoned, so I went to the core to try and help and found myself face to face with Primus himself."

"Did you almost pass out?"

"... No."

"You're a bad liar, Prime." Eleanor grinned, shaking her head. Optimus let out a loud sigh.

"Primus bequeathed unto me the Matrix of Leadership and the title of Prime, allowing me access to the wisdom of all of the Primes that came before me. I returned to the surface and gathered a following of my own, the Autobots, and we began to fight Megatron for the sake of our planet."

"So... You got smarter, wiser." Eleanor closed her eyes. "You lost your best friend, and you went into a war... But that doesn't all add up." Eleanor looked up. "On that ship, Orion was thrown into a war and he lost his best friend. He was told he had lost everyone and everything, really... He didn't change, so was it the Matrix that did it?"

"No."

"Then, what was it?"

"... Her name was Ariel." Optimus replied softly. "Or, as she came to be known, Elita-1... She was my sparkmate, and she perished towards the middle of the war." Eleanor's eyes widened in disbelief. "And I saw it happen... After she died, I admittedly became a bit more reserved. I was strict with protocol, I rarely took unnecessary risks... And I had not laughed for centuries, Miss Martin, before I met you."

"I'm... Sorry." Eleanor looked away, frowning. "I shouldn't have made you-"

"It is alright. You did not know, and you deserved answers."

"I meant to say that I shouldn't have made you laugh." Eleanor looked up at the steering-wheel. "You probably held out for this long for a reason... Was she the last one who-?"

"Yes... You would have gotten along well with Elita, Miss Martin." Optimus sounded like he was smiling. "And it felt good, letting myself have that moment. She would probably say that it has been too long."

"Yeah, well... Centuries without laughing seems pretty rough." Eleanor admitted, giving a small smile. "Mind if I give it another try, sometime?"

"I doubt that my response would impact your final decision."

"Hm. Clever boy..."

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

The next day, after Bumblebee was nearly killed in a chase since he wasn't armed or able to transform, Ratchet volunteered to have his T-cog removed and given to Bumblebee. Ratchet went into stasis, but before Bumblebee could be put under and the surgery could begin, the Autobots were called out on a mission due to the emergence of the second Iacon Relic.

They'd had its coordinates ready but had been distracted by Bumblebee's predicament, so off they went in a mad rush. The humans were left alone with the despondent scout and the sedated medic, so Raf decided to use his time wisely and get the interview that Eleanor had promised.

"So, um..." Raf checked the camera again, then he looked at Eleanor. "When were you born?"

"September 17, 1995." Eleanor replied, smiling. "The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, around five o'clock in the morning. My parents are George and Helen Martin, my dad is a lawyer and my mom runs a small diner - still up in New York, of course."

"How did they meet?"

"Well... They both tell it differently, but they part they agree upon is that my Uncle Roger flirted with a waitress in a small diner in Upper Manhattan and she knocked him out cold with a fair right-hook. My dad saw the whole thing, this little waitress from Brooklyn KOing a his younger brother, and it was love at first sight."

"And you were the second born, right? There was your older sister, Margaret, who came first."

"Yeah, but we don't talk about her." Eleanor told Raf, frowning. "She's ten years older than me and a walking trainwreck. Drugs, questionable male partners, crime - she's involved with all of it. She got pregnant once a few years back, and while I credit her for actually giving birth to the baby, she still ditched the poor kid with her boyfriend of that time and ran off to Tijuana to get some more cocaine or something like that. Rotten little-... That man, Eugene, kept the baby and raised her. I never really had a sister, but he became my brother - and the little girl he raised, Gabby, is an absolutely beautiful little five year-old."

"What about that uncle you mentioned, Roger Martin? He's that famous combat-instructor, right?"

"Yep!" Eleanor smiled deviously. "Uncle Roger is the best, and I attended tons of his classes. He says I'm pretty lethal, now - but I'm still too lazy to get up and grab a TV remote that's too far away from me at a given time." Raf nodded, smiling.

"So… What about your actual schooling?"

"I attended the Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, and I skipped second, third, and fourth grade." Eleanor replied, giving a small shrug. "I was out of there and in high-school by the age of twelve, and I attended Horace Mann School for that. I earned an IB diploma by taking several intensified courses and writing an in-depth essay on the life of Alan Turing and the impact his legacy still has on the world today, and at the age of sixteen I began attending classes at Columbia University. It wasn't really my style, but I still persevered and did my thing. At the age of twenty, I was out of there with the certification necessary to become a teacher of the languages Latin, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish - and some said it was a waste. So, every day after work for two years, I would go home and do something the world would consider 'worthwhile'. A week after I turned twenty-three, I sent the fruits of my labor in... You might have heard of them."

"The Fastis Killer Codes." Raf whispered, his eyes wide. "Why them?"

"... That man did terrible things, Raf." Eleanor looked up, his brown eyes narrowed. "I wanted my work to mean something. I wanted this-" She gestured to the side of her head. "To mean something... Justice, peace, closure - that's what I achieved, and I'm proud."

"... Why did you go into hiding, then?" Raf asked, frowning. "One day, you solve one of the world's biggest mysteries. The next, you were just... Gone, literally - the day after you sent those codes in, you vanished into the Alaskan wilderness and cut ties with everyone. You never allowed for any interviews or anything."

"Well... My name and my capabilities were already going to go down in history." Eleanor shrugged lightly. "I didn't see why I was expected to have more than that. The morning after I sent those codes in, it was all in the news. People called and asked me to appear places and get my photo taken, and I didn't want that. Codebreaking is a hobby, a passion - and I didn't want people to take it and over-dramatize it. I've actually filed the necessary documents to prevent people from ever turning my story into a movie, just to make sure."

"That doesn't explain why you vanished."

"I was... Pressured." Eleanor tried, beginning to fidget. "People around me - people who had never even given me the time of day - were suddenly calling me - they wanted to come into my life and wanted me to accept my fame, and I realized pretty quickly that they just wanted to use me to get some time in the spotlight. They didn't care about me, just what I could do for them... So, I left New York and moved to Alaska so that I could have a fresh start."

"But..." Raf's eyes narrowed. "You moved to Alaska before you broke the codes, Eleanor. You quit your job and isolvated yourself after you sent them in and got famous. No one could find you unless you wanted to be found, until the 'Cons managed to track you down... Was there a reason why you left New York specifically?"

"Err... No." Eleanor shook her head, laughing awkwardly. "Sorry, I'm just a little frazzled. It's been a long few days, I've met a lot of new people - I'm getting all sorts of mixed up... I moved to Alaska because I love the snow and there was a job opportunity for me up there, they needed a good language teacher and I did well for those two years. I became a bit of a hermit to escape the fame, and it's been a nice and peaceful three months."

"... What about your parents?" Raf continued, seeming tense. Eleanor went on as if nothing had happened.

"They check in, from time to time - but they don't know where I went or what I'm going to do next. I love them, but they're gossips - and there are some people that I never want to see again, so I can't have my parents mentioning anything that could lead them to me."

"Who are you hiding from?" Raf asked, and Eleanor froze again. "You mentioned that people came after you. Who were they?"

"... Yeah, I'm not letting you pull the pin on that grenade. Pass." Eleanor looked up, frowning. "Anything else you wanna ask?"

"... I read somewhere that you were married once to a man called David Blake, but you got divorced after only a year." Raf admitted, and Eleanor blinked in surprise. "According to the article, you were married at twenty - so that would mean that the divorce was two years ago, around the time you started working on the Fastis Killer codes... Is it true, or just a media rumor?"

"... Grenade." Eleanor decided, and Raf blinked before nodding in understanding. He decided to make a mental note of that keyword, _grenade_. Someone like Eleanor might continue to use it in the future.

* * *

Bumblebee learned of the location of a MECH base and decided to go after his T-cog, leaving the humans with Ratchet. The medic eventually woke up, and the other Autobots and Bumblebee did eventually return - Bumblebee bringing along a horribly destroyed T-cog. Ratchet was able to repair it and put it back into Bumblebee, and the scout was able to transform again.

"Aw." Eleanor grinned at Ratchet's smile as Bumblebee drove off with Raf, and she raised her phone to snap a picture. Miko snickered, looking over at her.

"Don't get used to the Doc-'Bot smiling. He doesn't do it much, but at least he does it more than Optimus."

"Oh, honey." Eleanor looked over at Miko, smirking. "I think it's clear that I don't stick with the status quo. Your boys are gonna be smiling and laughing much more frequently, now - that is, if I have anything to say about it."

"... What was he like?" Miko asked, frowning. "Orion Pax, I mean. Ratchet said he was like Jack, but you don't seem to agree."

"Hm." Eleanor gave a small smile. "Orion was... Curious, and a little shy. It was like he was constantly expecting something weird or scary to happen, which was honestly kinda funny. He was easily confused, but he was also brilliant - he was easily on par with me. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty smart." Eleanor slowly looked down, frowning. "He was absolutely terrified, but he kept it together and he went out to face Megatron with only me watching his back. He could have died, but he just wanted to do the right thing... Stupid, little, nerdy dork with absolutely no self-preservational instincts and a spark too big for his own good - that's Orion Pax, in the best words I can use."

"Optimus has that, the big spark." Miko reminded Eleanor. "And he's smart, and reckless. But he's brave, too... Are you gonna give him a chance?"

"Does it matter?" Eleanor asked, her grin returning as she looked at Miko. "I'm a genius, but I'm also a moron. Optimus Prime has bigger things to worry about than little old me, especially since I'm not only a human but a ticking time-bomb of idiotic tendencies."

"... You need to get to know him some more." Miko decided, and Eleanor blinked. "To Optimus, everyone is worth time and effort. You can be human - a temperamental agent, a worried mother, a twelve year-old prodigy, an awkward fast-food employee, or a crazy and loud exchange-student who always runs into danger and give some him a total spark-attack - and he'll treat you with just as much kindness and respect as any of his soldiers, even if you're a stranger... And I can tell he's really trying, with you."

"Why?"

"Well... Maybe it's because you saw the stupid, nerdy dork and valued him above the brave and powerful leader." Mike shrugged, and Eleanor looked over at Optimus. "Everyone thinks that Optimus Prime is the cool and important one, but you? You saw what he was like before he was Optimus, and you weren't like the rest of us. You thought the world of Orion Pax... Maybe some part of him misses being the guy you met."

"... I would, if I were him. Orion didn't have to deal with the trauma of a war."

"Yeah." Miko nodded in agreement. "And he had you, too... Optimus doesn't have a lot of close friends, especially not ones that are like him. I think he hopes you'll give him that chance."

"Why?"

"Because you are like him." Miko insisted, and Eleanor looked over at her. "Brave, reckless, smart - a blue-eyed codebreaker in blue and red who stepped forward to face Megatron because it was the right thing to do. You reminded everyone in that cave of Optimus, whether you knew it or not."

"You're joking, right? I'm no warrior."

"Aren't you a combat-instructors niece?"

"Ugh..." Eleanor shook her head, then she looked up at Optimus. He had been looking at her, but he noticed her looking back and quickly looked away again. "Oh my God, what a dork..."

"... Give him a chance?" Miko asked, smiling pleadingly, and Eleanor looked back at her. "Please?"

"... Okay." Eleanor relented, and Miko grinned. "But just so you know, I was already planning on it. We talked, and we reached an understanding."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah." Eleanor looked back at Optimus, and her eyes met his optics again. Eleanor grinned, and Optimus froze. "Mind giving me a ride home, Prime? We've got some stuff to talk about."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Eleanor grinned as she nodded along to some music, her arm hanging out of the window of Optimus' vehicle-mode.

"Optimus, your speaker-system is awesome!" She told him honestly, nodding in approval. "We've gotta get some _Nickelback_ , _Fall Out Boy_ , _Imagine Dragons_ \- let's really put it to good use!"

"Agent Fowler suggested country and folk music, for me."

"Alrighty. I throw in some Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, maybe some Uncle Kracker and Blake Shelton." Eleanor nodded, smiling. "I like _Sugarland_ and Tyler Farr, too - and you might like _Florida-Georgia Line_. We can experiment."

"Hm." Optimus sounded perplexed as he pulled into Eleanor's driveway. "I suppose so... Was music all that you wished to talk about?"

"Nope." Eleanor unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door, slid out, and closed the door before walking around to face the truck. "I just wanted to say... We're cool, okay?"

"... _Cool_?"

"I mean, I'm not gonna be giving you the stink-eye or any shit about missing Orion." Eleanor explained, folding her arms behind her back. "I mean, it was not cool of me - blaming you for something you couldn't control. And... You are Orion, with a little extra baggage. That doesn't mean you're a different guy, it just means that there are some changes that I'll have to adjust to. I didn't know you as Orion for long, so that shouldn't take too long."

"Miss Martin?"

"All people change, over time." Eleanor looked up at the truck. "Some change is bad, but some change is good - and as long as you remember who you used to be, the old you's never really gone... You've changed a lot since you were Orion, and that change happened really fast as far as I'm concerned, but that doesn't mean I should act like you've become Satan just because you've become more mature and responsible." Eleanoe gave a small smile. "You're a good guy, Prime. It's time I start teaching you with a little more respect, but don't think I'm gonna stop making you smile and laugh. You need to do it more often, and I'm just as stubborn as I am annoying. I'm not giving up on you."

"Here until the end of the line, then?"

"Yeah." Eleanor nodded, grinning. "Is that okay?"

"I have no qualms with it." Optimus told her. Eleanor beamed, then she turned away.

"... Just so you know-" Eleanor spoke up, and she heard his engine stall for a second before picking up again. The young woman sighed, then she smiled as she looked back at the truck. "I am your consultant and, when we goes those codes, I will be your partner... But we are friends, whether you like it or not. Capiche, dork?"

"I do not understand what _capiche_ means."

"You will by the time I'm done with you." Eleanor chuckled, then she turned back to her house. "My entire life has been uprooted and moved, my world has been turned upside-down... What better things do I have to do besides hang out with the guy who made it all possible?"

"Are you not bitter?"

"Are you kidding?" Eleanor grinned, shaking her head. "I moved to Alaska to get away from my old life. Now, I'm double-removed - and I've got protection and rent money from the U.S. government and I'm wrapped up in an alien conspiracy. This is the dream."

"Why did you have to get away?" Optimus asked, and Eleanor froze before her face fell. "Eleanor?"

"... I told you, I couldn't handle the fame." Eleanor looked back at Optimus, grinning awkwardly. Optimus went silent for a moment.

"Rafael told me that you moved to Alaska before you became famous."

"Optimus-"

"You are being contradictory."

"... Look, I'm really tired." Eleanor gripped the strap of her satchel, her eyes narrowing as she looked back at her house. "I need to hit the hay."

"Eleanor-"

"Goodnight, Optimus." Eleanor went into her house. Optimus lingered in the driveway for a moment, then he pulled out and drove away.

He was worried, now.

* * *

 ** _When you first met Eleanor, she was seven. Sixteen years have passed between that time and this story, so there are bound to be some things that remain unknown._** ** _How and why did a twenty-three year-old from New York City end up hiding from the world in a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness?_**

 ** _On a lighter note, Eleanor did some bonding with her fellow human members of Team Prime and Optimus! She gave Raf his interview, messed around with Miko, listened to the kids' stories, and even made Optimus laugh - which ended up helping out the other 'Bots in a tough time. Optimus and Eleanor talked things out with some encouragement for the kids, and things seem to be calming down a bit._**

 ** _Will Eleanor play a bigger role in future adventures?_**

 ** _Will she continue to be the nerdy, geeky, fun-loving codebreaker I adore instead of turning into a cliché edgy, depressed, secretive little drama-queen?_**

 ** _Yes, absolutely - I would never do that to such an awesome character. You've just gotta recall the words of Sirius Black: "_** ** _We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are"._** ** _Eleanor's got light and dark, but she's chosen to act on the light._**

 ** _That doesn't mean she couldn't use a little help with the dark, though. Everyone needs a little help, sometimes - and in helping others, people often help themselves._**

 ** _You'll see what I mean._**

 ** _I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


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